Reality
by diAngelo57
Summary: Katie Johnson is just an ordinary, 15 year old girl going to an ordinary school in New York City. Her favorite book series is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but they're just stories, right? Wrong. When she and her friend Astrid discover looming signs that the tales are real, they begin to investigate. (Nico di Angelo x OC) Rated T for some gory violence.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Packing

I sat at my desk near the back of the room, drumming my pencil on my Algebra book. I glanced up to make sure that our teacher, Mr. Thorn, wasn't looking, and sneaked a glance over at Astrid. She grinned and mouthed the word "Montauk". I nodded and returned to doodling on my paper. There was a black pegasus flying over the equation 78=2x+39 I smirked. That would give Mr. Thorn a heart attack as he graded my paper (he has a phobia of horses). I drew a speech bubble emerging from the pegusus's mouth, reading "Yo, boss!".

"—so can anyone tell me what the answer is?" Mr. Thorn asked, his voice full of boredom. "Katie? How about you?" I snapped out of my fantasies of pegasi and heart attacks. "What sir? I'm sorry, I didn't hear the question." I mumbled. He smirked. "I didn't think so." I glared at him, then returned to my drawing, making sure to color the horse's eyes red.

The bell finally rang after a grueling hour and a half, and Astrid came bouncing up to me at my locker. "Schools out!" she barked happily. "Finally," I said, taking my book 'The Last Olympian' and shoving it in my backpack. I grabbed my favorite blue hoodie and slipped it on. "Okay, let's go," I said, slinging my 10 ton bag over my shoulder. Astrid grinned like a maniac, her blond ponytail swinging back and forth. Did I mention that she's A.D.D.?

We walked out of the school and in to the rain. I sighed contently and let the cool raindrops wash over my face. "Uh, hey! Red?" Astrid nudged my shoulder. "You've been standing there for like five minutes!" I shot a look at her. A few days ago, she'd started calling me "Red" because of my strawberry-blonde hair. "Fine, Flowerbrain." I smirked. She glared at me. "Lets go," she sighed. "We're getting soaked. Yo! Taxi!" A bright yellow cab pulled up to the curb. We climbed in to the tight car. "Take us to South Side Ridge," I told the cab driver. The scruffy dude nodded briefly and stepped on the gas pedal.  
"Is it just me, or is that guy kind of cute?" I whispered. Astrid gave me the "wolf stare". Of course. I'd forgotten. For the past five months, she'd been stuck on this guy named Noah, and refused to show any outward affection to any other guy. Silly me. I, on the other hand, was a free agent.

"Nevermind." I mumbled, staring out the window. I absentmindedly played with my necklace, a gift I'd found in my locker one day from an unknown admirer.

When we arrived at my apartment building, I paid the cute scruffy guy and hauled my backpack, along with Astrid, up the stairs. When we reached my door, I took out the spare key I had and jammed it into the lock. The door clicked open and I collapsed on the couch inside. Meanwhile, Astrid raided the refrigerator. "Why do you always pick through my kitchen?" I sighed, exasperated. "Because I'm never allowed to eat junk or drink soda," she answered smugly. I rolled my eyes and went to my room, throwing clothes into a "satchel" as Astrid called it. I grabbed a wad of cash from the jar on my side table and put it safely in my pocket. "Let's see, iPod, watch, pencils, sketch book, money, brush, jacket, Converse, books, sandals, swimsuit..." I muttered to myself. Astrid peaked her head through the door, holding a Coke in her hand. "Don't forget your phone." "Happy, Miss Bag Inspector?" I asked sarcastically. "Quite," Astrid laughed. I grinned. "Good. Then you can carry the bag," I said, shoving it into her arms. She narrowed her eyes at me, and dumped the empty Coke can in the trash can.

'Dear Mom and Dad,  
gone to Montauk with Astrid. See you Sunday. Love you. ~ Katie'

I finished scrawling the note an taped in to the kitchen table. "Why'd you tape it?" Astrid asked. "Because I felt like it." I retorted, locking the door to our apartment. "Come on." We walked down two flights of stairs and out onto the streets. Astrid pulled out her Smartphone and texted her dad while I flagged down a taxi. To my complete surprise, it was the same scruffy blond guy from before. A little weirded out, I climbed in next to Astrid and said, "Take us to Montauk, please." "Sure thing, beautiful," he winked. I blushed and Astrid smirked. It was still raining outside, a little harder than before, and the raindrops sounded like lead on the roof of the cab. Anxious to avoid any more awkward conversations or looks from Astrid, I curled up on the seat and pulled out my sketch book. Astrid put in her earbuds and played music from her iPod, taking out her phone and going to a fanfiction site.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Montauk

* * *

After about 45 minutes, we were driving along a sandy road in Montauk, about two minutes away from the lodge cabins. "We'll get out here," I said, elbowing Astrid who had fallen asleep. "Ok, but you'll have to walk back to the city," Scruffy said. I smiled and handed him a few dollars. "Thats okay."

"Hey, if you need anything, my name's Francis!" he called. I turned and gave him a small smile. "See you...Francis."

We slipped out of the taxi and began to walk down the dirt path leading to the beach. The rain had let up, so the sky was a murky gray and the path wasn't too muddy. A few blue corn chips and jelly beans littered the ground, and the seagulls were pecking at them. Wait. Blue corn chips? Jellybeans? Why did that seem so familiar...?

"We're here!" Astrid said brightly. Our lodge was about 10 meters away from the beach, and the view was fantastic. "Hey, looks like its been recently used too," I said, opening the door. The floor was swept, and the sheets looked fresh and clean too. Astrid was staring at the wall. "What are you looking at?" I asked curiously. She pointed at the space next to the window. There, lightly carved into the wall, was a small trident. We stared at it. "What the..." I traced my finger over it. "This must be the Poseidon cabin," Astrid joked. 'Hmm' I thought. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Astrid nudged me. "Let's go outside to the beach!" I grinned, and pulled my tankini out of my bag, and went to change in the bathroom.

When I came back, Astrid was already bouncing and ready to go. We shared a quick glance, then bolted out of the door, silently racing each other to the water. I slowed down right before I hit the water, and let Astrid zoom in front of me, jumping in to the icy water. I stifled a a laugh as she bobbed back up again, glaring and spitting salt water out of her mouth. "You. Are. Dead." she hissed. "Ha! You wish, sucker!" I laughed, dashing away. Astrid chased me up a tree, giving me the 'look'.

"Please don't hurt me," I said mockingly, dangling my legs from the branch just out of her reach. She growled. "I swear, Katie, when you get down, I'll—" she started. "You'll what? Tease me to death?" I laughed, interrupting her. She glared at me. "Come and get me, shortie," I snickered. Have I mentioned that I'm taller than her? Astrid hissed and  
began to claw at the tree.

"Oh crap." I edged up to a higher branch. She stared at the branches, analyzing a quick route to me. I risked going another branch higher, and the thin limb snapped. My stomach dropped as I fell and I landed flat on my back, knocking the breath out of me. "Owww!" I moaned, rubbing my spine. Astrid snickered. "Serves you right." I glared at her and brushed the sand off my skin. I walked over to the water's edge and stuck a toe in the cold water. I bit my lip, and jumped in. I waded in a few feet before fully submerging my head. "Cold! Cold! Cold!" I sputtered, when I came back up. Astrid smirked. "Now you know it feels." "Nature is so cruel!" I whined, shaking the water out of my hair like a dog.

"Let's go back inside."  
"You do that. I'm staying out here." she said. "Fine. You can deal with mosquitos, and sand, and bird poop," I grumbled and walked back up to the cabin, wiping the sand off of my feet. I changed back into dry clothes and turned the AC on, lowering it to 65 degrees. Yes, I like living in cold temperatures. Satisfied to be out of the cruel wildlife, I curled up in a chair with "The Last Olympian".

Astrid came back in a little while later, completely soaked. "Do you feel... refreshed?" I asked mockingly. That's an inside joke. "Very," she laughed. "Once you get past the coldness, the water's really great!" "Mmmm hmm." I slipped a bookmark in my book and rustled through my bag, looking for food. Pulling out a piece of bread, I took a small bite. "You are so weird," Astrid stared at me. "Why the heck do you eat plain bread?" "It tastes good!" I said indignantly. "Pfft." she kicked off her sandals and began to dry off her hair with a towel.

As the sun began to set, we fixed up a dinner of sandwiches and fruit because first off, I didn't know how to cook and Astrid was too lazy. We mostly joked around, watched movies, and talked until it was two in the morning. And just a little fyi, we do and say crazy things when we're tired. We laughed hysterically as we watched The Half-Blood Prince. "Hey Astrid," I grinned. "What?" "What if Snape was a demigod? Then he'd really be a Half-Blood Prince!" We cracked up.  
I eventually fell asleep on the couch around 2:30 a.m., and Astrid passed out soon after.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Saytrs

* * *

I woke up around noon the next day. "You are so lazy," Astrid snorted, looking up from her architecture book. "Shut up," I whined, turning over onto my other side. After about the spans of five minutes, I mustered up enough energy to sit up. "What time is it?" I asked groggily. "Eleven thirty-five," Astrid said, checking her watch. I staggered over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk, not even bothering to eat anything.

"You'll die of starvation if you keep that up," Astrid sniffed. I've never had much of an appetite, and so she was always commenting about malnourishment and those kinds of things. I took a few a sips of the carton, and then put it back. "Where's my iPod?" I asked, looking accusingly over at Astrid. "What? I don't have it!" she sniffed. "Sure," I narrowed my eyes, then checked my "satchel". "Oh," there it sat, perfectly undamaged. I typed in my passcode and tapped the music app, clicking into the Artists section and selecting 'The Killers'. Yes, I like old rock music. Putting in my earbuds, I jammed to 'When You Were Young', and slipped my hoodie, silently humming to myself.

I heard a scream. "What the—?!" I turned back to Astrid to see the door wide open and a weird lion, eagle, bull thing stood hunched over Astrid, who looked petrified. My eyes widened in disbelief, and I yanked out my earbuds. I blinked several times before realizing the thing was intention was to kill.

"DIE!" before I could do anything, a boy around 16 came running awkwardly through the door and kicked the beast in the head. It snarled and turned away from Astrid, it's focus now on the boy. He leaped to the right with surprising agility and landed on the animal-thing's back, hitting its head with both fists.

"Who—" I started. "No time for introductions! Just take your friend and run!" he interrupted, taking a small knife from his belt. For a moment I thought he was going to gut me with it, but he instead raked it down the lion's shoulder. It howled in pain and threw the boy off of him. I glanced at Astrid in fear, and we silently agreed, bolting for the door.

We tore across the sand, desperate for any kind of shelter. I spotted a large tree, but then remembered that the animal had wings. "There!" Astrid shouted, pointing to a mound of rocks beside the shore. I nodded and pushed myself harder, desperate to reach the small hiding place. We heard a roar behind us, and I flung myself onto my stomach, crouching behind the boulders.

"Eat my reed pipes, giant kitty!" I heard a soft tune beginning to play, and I risked a glance. There was the boy, standing a few feet away from the monster, playing some sort of flute. The beast seemed to go into a daze, and walked obediently over to the ocean, swimming away. The sweet song continued to play until the thing was far out to sea, and then the boy stopped. "Thank the gods," I heard him mutter. I turned to Astrid.

"Please tell me you saw that too," I said hoarsely. She gulped and nodded slightly. "Are you two okay?" the boy rushed over to us. "Wh-what was that thing?" I whispered. "A manticore," he said, shrugging. "I think we've officially gone insane," Astrid said, dazed.

"Don't worry, you haven't. That's what every kid says when they see their first monster," he glanced at Astrid. I looked at him. "Who are you?" I asked. "The name's Oakland. Shane Oakland," he said. I looked more carefully at him. He had curly brown hair and odd, yellow eyes. "Ughh, these things are getting hot!" Shane said, kicking off his shoes. Instead if feet, he had two cloven hoofs. I shook my head. "No, no, no!" I moaned. "I really am going crazy!" "You're a satyr!" Astrid said, more logically. "Correct," Shane grinned. Looking more closely, I saw that he had two small horns poking out from his hair. "But we really should get going," he suddenly sounded urgent. "Why? How do we know you're not some kidnapper and your just wearing weird, hoof shaped shoes?" I asked, slightly desperate. Shane looked at me, dead serious. "And do you suppose that manticore was a giant puppet?" he asked, slightly sarcastic.

"It could have been," I said hopelessly. "You know that's not true, Katie," Astrid spoke up, her head bowed in realization. "We have to go with him." My eyes widened in fear. "Can I at least bring my iPod?" I asked meekly. "Hades, no!" Shane yelped, grabbing my precious electronic and crushing it beneath his hooves. My jaw dropped. "That was one hundred and eighty dollars worth if entertainment!" I stuttered. "They attract monsters," Shane said. "You might as well hand over your cell phones too." I shook my head. "Good luck with that one, goat boy," I glared at him. "Now take us to wherever we're going."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Votes

* * *

Shane led us up the sandy dunes and back to the highways. A white van with the words 'Delphi Strawberrys' was stopped at the curb. A blond, husky looking dude with blue eyes was at the wheel. I stared at him; his body was covered in eyes. Astrid shoved me. "It's rude to stare," she murmured. We climbed into the back of the car. "Back to Long Island South, Argus," Shane told the odd driver, taking shotgun. The blond guy nodded, and stepped on the gas pedal.

* * *

"It still feels like we're getting kidnapped," I huffed, crossing my arms. We were out in the middle of nowhere, driving along a dusty path. "Are we almost there yet?" Astrid asked, leaning against the window. "Nearly," Shane said. "And remind me where we're going again?" I grumped, still mad about my iPod. "A place where you'll be safe," the satyr said gravely. "You're just freaking me out even more," I grumbled. Shane raised an eyebrow. "If you hadn't been using your iPod, then you never would have gotten into this mess," he said sniffed. I glared at him.  
"We're here." I quickly looked out the window, but saw only trees. "Umm, where exactly is 'here'?" I asked. Shane didn't answer, and instead hopped out of the car. We followed him into the woods, and up a steep hill. "Welcome to Half-Blood Hill," he said.

My eyes widened. In front of us were two Greek pillars with a slab of white marble set on top, reading 'Camp Half-Blood'. Speechless, I looked a little ways to my left and saw a great pine tree, and one one of the branches hung a pure golden sheepskin. "I see you're... a dedicated fan..." I gulped. Shane chuckled. "A little more than that, Katie," he grinned. "Welcome to the real Camp Half-Blood!" Astrid's blue eyes shone with excitement and disbelief, while I stood there in shock. "I knew it," Astrid smiled broadly. "I always thought I saw monsters when I was little, but now I know that they were real!" She frowned. "Actually, that's kind of creepy." I tuned her out and looked down into the valley. It was exactly as the books described it; the strawberry fields bloomed, and the Big House and pavilion stood looming over to the right. Squinting, I could see kids down at the lake shore, and down in a circular arena. My knees locked, and my head seemed very fuzzy. "This is... too much to comprehend..." I murmured, slowly sinking to the ground. I remember a pair of strong arms breaking my fall, and Astrid's panicked voice before I blacked out.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" a female voice asked. "Hush, Rachel. I think she will be fine. It must have been too much for her to take in at once," I heard a gentle voice say. I opened my eyes fuzzily. A girl with long red hair and freckles stood at the side of my bed, looking curiously at me. "What the..." I mumbled. "What happened?" The girl looked at me discerningly. "You fainted at the top of Half-Blood Hill," she said, frowning. "Shane came down for help, and Nico carried you here." I blinked several times before sitting up. It looked like I was in an infirmary , and sections were divided up by canvas curtains. "We're glad to see that you're alright," the man said. "Your friend was quite worried." I looked up at him. He seemed unusually tall for a normal human, his waist seeming extra long. "Who are you?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. "My name is Chiron," he smiled, holding out his hand. "I'm the camp activities director." I shook his outstretched palm. "Hi, I'm—" I suddenly noticed why his waist was so long. His torso stretched to his waist line, and then continued into the body of a horse. I yelped. "You're a centaur?!" "Ah, so my suspicions were correct," Chiron muttered. "You can see through the Mist." Then it dawned on me. "It's real? Everything?" I whispered. "So the events in the books really happened!" "Yep!" the red haired girl said brightly. "I'm Rachel, by the way." Then I noticed her bright green eyes, and the paint stains on her jeans. "No way," I murmured. "I've gone insane! I need to be put in an asylum...!" Chiron chuckled sadly. "That's what most demigods think when they arrive here. But what intrigues me the most is that you aren't one of us. What I mean to say, is that you are a mortal." "So what if she is?" Rachel's eyes flashed. "Is there something wrong with that?" "No, no, my child. I was merely saying that it is rare for your kind to see through the Mist," Chiron held up his hands in defense. "Um, Chiron, sir?" I asked meekly. "This is a lot for me to understand right now, and I'm still not fully convinced I'm not crazy. Could I please see my friend?" Chiron and Rachel stopped bickering. "Of course, Katie," Rachel glanced accusingly at Chiron. "Come on, I'll show you were she is."

Rachel led me out of the infirmary and out into the camp. It was very warm out, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. I hate warm weather. We walked up many grassy hills, and around a lot of kids. All of them wore orange t-shirts and had either a bow, sword, or knife equipped to their belt or back. We passed many Ancient Greek looking buildings, most made out of white marble or stone, and said hello to the satyrs and nymphs who passed us. I was dazed when a girl walked directly out of a tree ad waved to me, so I waved hesitantly back.

We once passed a black obsidian cabin, and I felt strangely drawn to it. "Katie, let's go," Rachel said, turning to me. "It's not good to stand around this particular cabin." I raised and eyebrow, but followed her again. She led me down to the beach where a bunch of tan skinned teens were playing volleyball on the sand. Astrid stood among them, looking right as rain, and I felt slightly sad. She high fived a girl on her right, and started laughing with the others.

"Hey, Astrid!" Rachel called. "Sup, Rachel?" she grinned, then spotted me. "Katie!" she came bounding up the hill. "Are you okay? Thank the gods Nico was there to help us!" she chattered. "I'm fine, Astrid," I signed heavily. "Who are they?" I motioned to the kids on the beach. "Oh, they're the Athena kids," Astrid grinned. "Ah." I nodded slightly, frowning. "Oh, and guess what?!" she practically bounced with excitement. "I'm a demigod!" She laughed happily. "What?" I asked, incredulously. "How—who's your godly parent?" "I don't know yet," Astrid's smile faded. "The campfire's tonight, so maybe I'll be claimed."  
I nodded stiffly. "Are you okay?" she asked, slightly concerned. "I'm fine," I forced a smile. "Its just the heat; it's messing with my acid reflex." "Oh, okay!" Astrid perked up. "Well, I gotta get back to the game. I'll see you tonight!" "Okay... buddy," I said as she skipped back to the net. Rachel seemed to sense my loneliness. "Hey, why don't I show you my cave?" she asked, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Cave...?" I hesitated. "Don't worry! It has AC!" she smiled. "Ok..." I said, a little flabbergasted. "Come on," she took my wrist and dragged me back up the hill and into the forest.

I kept jumping at the sound of a snapping twig, and I'd constantly look over my shoulder. "Dude, chill," Rachel said, after noticing my tension. I hardly relaxed. Bugs were biting at my legs, and plants kept making my skin itch. "Ughh, I HATE the outdoors!" I grumbled, swatting a mosquito off my arm. "Then you'll like my cave," she said mischievously. She led me to a rocky side of the valley, where a gaping entrance to a cave stood with a tattered purple curtain hanging from the stalactites. "Ummm," I licked my lips nervously. Rachel laughed. "Don't worry, it's a lot more modern than it looks." She swept aside the curtain, revealing a carpeted floor, air conditioning, and a... hot tub?

"Ah, finally! Twenty-first century live style!" I sighed happily, sinking into a chair right next to an air vent. "How did you get it like this?" I asked, amazed. "Oh, some daughters of Nyx did it for me," Rachel said casually. "Of course. Silly me," I said, still extremely confused. "Never mind, you'll meet them sometime," she waved the topic aside. "Whats more important right now is finding you a place to sleep, that is, if Chiron decides you can stay." "What?" I looked up. "Oh, well he and the head counselors are having a meeting right now to decide whether you can stay or not," Rachel frowned. "But what if they vote that I can't? What'll happen to me?" I started to panic. "I can't just leave Astrid here! She'll—" "—Be fine," she said calmly. "We will just work the Mist into forgetting that you ever found this place." My eyes widened in fear. "No! You can't do that! I-I'll forget ever meeting Astrid too!" I stood up angrily, and stormed out of the cave. "Katie, wait! Where are you going?" Rachel called. "To settle things with Chiron," I shouted stubbornly.

I trudged down the grassy hills, and around the cabins, looking for the Big House. I pushed through several groups of campers, not bothering to be polite, and looked for any sign of recognition. 'This place is bigger than I realized,' I thought. "Hey, Shane!" I spotted the blond satyr and walked up to him. "Well, well. The zombie awakens," he grinned. "Whats up?" "I need to get back to the Big House," I explained. "Can you show me the way back?" Shane nodded. "Sure thing, beautiful," he grinned, and motioned for me to follow him. Flirt. I rolled my eyes and followed him back up the hill and around the beach.

By the time we reached the pavilion, my forehead was sweating and my tongue was dry from the heat. "How do live like this?" I panted. He shrugged. "You get used to it." "Yeah right," I took off my jacket and nervously walked up to the Big House. I hesitantly knocked on the door, and I heard the clipping of Chiron's hooves from inside. He opened the door. "Ah, Katie. I was just about to come find you," he said. "Please, come in." I squeezed past him and into the room. About twenty two teenagers, all seated around a ping pong table, stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably as a boy around seventeen looked at me with piercing blue-green eyes. Wait, bluish green eyes... I glanced at him again. He had jet black hair and a silver streak to the right, almost as if he'd dyed it gray. "We were just about to vote over whether you may be permitted to stay," Chiron said, jolting me out of my thoughts. "As you are mortal, it may be unwise for us to allow you to stay. But you could be a great strength for us too." I looked desperately at him. He smiled sadly.

"All in favor of erasing her memories through the Mist?" About eleven hands raised. "And all in favor of letting her stay here and adding to our defense force?" I saw the blue eyed boy raise his hand, and a couple people followed. Chiron grimaced. "Then it is decided—"

"Sorry I'm late." the door swung open and a boy around sixteen came striding in. He wore almost complete black, with the exception of his brown jacket and silver chains that hung off his belt. "Nico," Chiron greeted. A few of the counselors shifted in unease. His brown eyes flicked over to them, and they froze. "I was afraid that you wouldn't make it," Chiron said. "Yes, well Percy sent me a notice last minute...as usual..." Nico sounded bored, and he ran a hand through his dark shaggy hair. "Well, what have I missed?"  
"We were just deciding; the vote was tied," Chiron said. "But since you are here now, I suppose you should vote too." Nico's eyes shifted over to me, and the room suddenly felt ten times warmer. He studied my face for what seemed like forever, and I averted y eyes, feeling awkward.

"Let her stay."  
I felt relief wash over me, and I gratefully looked at him, but he was turned the other way. "Very well. She will stay with Rachel for the time being," Chiron cleared his throat. "Katie, I suggest that you find your friend now; dinner is almost ready and we have business to discuss." I recognized my dismissal, and I awkwardly bowed. "Yes, sir," I muttered, and I quietly left the Big House.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Campfire

* * *

I walked back down to the beach, still thinking about the recent events. I had just seen the real Nico di Angelo, who looked just like how I'd pictured him, and caught a glimpse of Percy. I was so lost in thought that I didn't watch where I was going and slipped on the edge of the small ledge leading down to the beach. My stomach dropped and I landed flat on my stomach in the sand. "Owww," I gritted my teeth.

"Katie?!" I heard a familiar voice. I looked up and saw the semi-familiar face of Noah Peterson. We had talked only a few times at school, mostly because of Astrid wanting to introduce us, but never really said much to each other. "Noah? What the heck are you doing here?" I asked, brushing the sand off of my shoulders. "Me? What are you doing here?" he asked incredulously. "I came here with Astrid," I said. "Shane brought us."  
His freckled face broke out in a grin. "Astrid's here? When did you guys get—?" "Last night," I said wearily. "I fainted before we could really get settled in." Noah nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I almost did too when I first arrived," he said. We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. "Anyways, I came down here hoping to find her with the Athena kids," I said, tying my hair back. "Do you know where they went?" He shook his head. "No, but they might have already gone up for dinner." "Hmm, okay then," I frowned, and we began to walk back up to the dining pavilion.

"Who's your godly parent, then?" "Apollo," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "What? Is there something wrong with him?" I asked, noticing his discomfort. "No," Noah sighed. "It's just– I kinda wish he would at least visit us from time to time." "Oh." I nodded. He glanced at me. "Who's yours, then?" "What? No, actually I'm mortal," I sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize..." he bowed his head awkwardly. "I don't care," I shrugged. He grimaced apologetically.

We walked into the pavilion in silence, and separated as we went to our friends. I pushed past several people and over to the Hermes table. Astrid was sitting along side some other girls and laughing heartily. I stopped before I reached them, staring. My eye twitched, and I turned around, changing my mind.

"Hey," I felt a hand on my shoulder. "What?" I said irritably. "Its just me," Rachel hesitated at the sound of my voice. My shoulders relaxed. "So what happened? At the meeting, I mean," she asked. I shrugged. "Nothing much. There was a tie between votes. I'm going to be allowed to stay, but I have to contribute to the defense force." Rachel counted on her fingers. "But there were only twenty two counselors, and if they tied, how did you decide which side won?" she asked. "Oh..." I had hoped that I would be able to leave this part out.

"Nico di Angelo turned up late and cast his vote." Rachel looked at me carefully. "What?" I felt uncomfortable under her stare. "Nothing," she said slowly. "It's just that I find it odd that he voted for someone he's never met." I remained silent at this. "So where do we sit for dinner?" I asked, changing the subject. "Up at the table with Chiron and Mr. D," Rachel said. "Since we aren't technically campers, we don't sit at the cabin tables." The thought of sitting next to Dionysus made me shudder. "Hmm. Well at least we have each other for company," I said. "Yeah, I guess. It's just kind of uncomfortable sitting next to a centaur while you eat," Rachel laughed. I chuckled.

"Attention, heroes!" speak of the devil, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor. The hall went silent, and everybody scrambled back to their seats. "Tonight we have two new campers joining us," he continued. "And I hope that we can make them feel as welcome as possible." He raises his glass high in the air. "To the gods!" Everyone, to my bafflement, followed his actions and repeated. "Its not wise to defy a toast to the Olympians," Rachel murmured in my ear. I shuddered nervously. "O–Okay." We sat down at the table, far away from Mr. D, and I looked down at our empty plates and glasses. "Talk to it," Rachel grinned. "Sorry?" stared at her. "Tell it want you want to drink," she said. I looked at her like she was nuts, but said, "Umm, water?" My cup filled with ice water. My throat went dry, but I figured it wouldn't be the last weird thing I would see. I hesitantly took a sip. Perfect. And yes, I do have a certain way I like my water. Rachel grinned again. "Pretty sick, huh?" I nodded. Satyrs and nymphs came in with platters of food, mostly bread, cheese, fruits, and meats. "Wow, they're really strict on the foods here," I stated, adding some strawberries to my plate. "They have to be. Everyone has to be in perfect shape in order to train," Rachel said simply. "Ah," I took a slice of bread from a basket she handed me.

We ate and chatted for most of the evening, and just generally had a good time. Around 6:30, Chiron called time for the campfire, and we all got up from our tables. "So what do we do anyways?" I asked, as we headed over to the brazier. "Well, there's usually a sing a long, and we roast marshmallows and stuff." she explained. "I don't sing," I laughed nervously. "Maybe I'll just go over here for I while—" I tried to escape but Rachel grabbed the tail of my shirt. "I don't think so." she grinned triumphantly. "You're so mean!" I whined, struggling out of her grip.

"I'm gonna go find Astrid." I scampered through the crowd and found Astrid with the Athena kids. She was talking to a blond, curly haired girl around seventeen. "Hey," I said, tapping Astrud in the shoulder. "Katie!" she sounded breathless. "Dude! Guess who this is?!" She looked like she was about to hyperventilate. "Who?" I curiously asked. The tan girl raised an eyebrow. "Hi, I'm Annabeth. I think that you've read about me? Astrid here tells me your a huge fan of me." "You're kidding," I grinned. "Oh my gosh, I— no way— yeah, I have read about you! Geez, it's great to meet you!" We shook hands. She smiled, slightly amused. "Yeah, you too." "Hey, Annie," the boy I had seem earlier pushed over to us. "Who are you're new friends?" Annabeth's eyes turned to rage. "Do not call me Annie," she hissed dangerously. The boy took a few steps back. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" He stuck out his lower lip and made his green eyes puppy-like. Her gaze softened. "Gods, Percy! Why do I put up with you?" she shook her head fondly. "Because I'm goofy, powerful, fun, attractive—" Percy was elbowed in the ribs.  
"ANYWAYS, Katie, Astrid, this is Percy, my dork of a boyfriend," Annabeth said and Percy grinned. "That's me, the one and only," he said. "Hey, look! A butterfly!" He started admiring a moth that fluttered past us. Annabeth mouthed the word 'ADHD' to me. Astrid sneaked away to the front, probably to get marshmallows. "Hi, I'm Katie Johnson. I think you saw me at the meeting today," I said, shaking hands.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Percy remembered. I stifled a laugh; he was even goofier than in the books! I sudden commotion gathered at the front of the crowd. I stood on my toes to see over some over the taller kids, and I saw that the campfire was burning bright green. "A claim!" Annabeth hissed. A blue, holographic image started swirling over a someone's head. "What the...!" as I looked closer, I saw that the image was an owl. Chiron made his way to the front and bowed. "Hail Astrid Nightingale, daughter of Athena." My eyes widened as I realized that Astrid was the girl that was being claimed. One by one, demigods around me sank to their knees and followed Chiron's lead. I hesitantly bowed too, but a flicker of movement caught my attention out if the corner if my eye. I glanced over into the shadows and saw Nico di Angelo slipping away towards the cabins. 'What a mysterious boy,' I thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Training and Dreams

* * *

That night, Astrid moved into the Athena cabin. We were worn out by the time Rachel and I reached her cave again, and I collapsed tiredly into a chair. "Here, you can have my bed tonight,"  
Rachel yawned. "I'll just sleep on the floor." I was too tired to protest, and gratefully curled up on the low bed.

A beautiful man in a white cloak was walking through fields of carnations. He threw back his hood, and I saw his face; he had shoulder length, silky brunette hair, and chocolate brown eyes. He turned to me, and said, "I am Death, or Thanatos, reaper of souls." I felt a wave of fear slide down into my chest, and I froze. "Do not fear, I have not come for you tonight. I am here only to deliver a message." he held up his hand in peace. I felt my shoulders relax, but didn't speak. "Good. Now..." he swept his angelic like hand across my forehead. Immediately, I saw as clearly as of I were there, a peaceful looking island and a couple hundred people standing at the shoreline. One by one, souls began to vanish into thin air. "If someone doesn't help soon, all of the spirits in Elysium and the Fields of Asphodel will disappear and the Underworld will cease to exist." My vision switched back to Thanatos. "So w–what to you want me to do?" I found my voice again. "That is for you to decide." he pulled his hood back up. "Sleep well."

I woke up in a cold sweat. "You okay?" Rachel looked worried. "You're extremely pale!" I rubbed my forehead. "Yeah," I murmured. "I must have had a bad dream. What time is it?" "7:15," she responded. "And here, I got you a t-shirt." She handed me a bright orange top labeled 'Camp Half-Blood' in black lettering. "Thanks," I said, taking it. Then I spotted something familiar. "Who brought my stuff in here?" I asked, picking up my 'satchel'. Everything was still inside, including my books and fresh clothes. "Beats me," Rachel shrugged, changing into a new shirt. "Huh, to whoever did it, I'm in they're debt," I said, tying my hair back and braiding it.

Rachel showed me the way down to the arena, and said that I'd be training with the Apollo cabin. I waited nervously for the other people to get there, and sat in the shade. A brief memory flashed in my head, but I couldn't remember if it was a dream or not. "That is for you to decide." a voice replayed in my head, but I couldn't place who it was. "What are you doing here?" a slightly irritated voice asked. "N-Nico!" I stuttered, as the black haired boy faced me. "I'm sorry! I thought I was alone!" "It's fine," he sighed, messing with some of the chains that hung off his pockets. "Now what are you doing here?" "Oh! Well, Rachel said that the Apollo kids were training here today, and said that I should probably come and join them," I answered. "The Apollo kids train here on Thursday," he said, gripping his sword. "She probably sent you here knowing that I'd be here." I looked at him curiously. "Why would she do that?" "Who knows," Nico snorted. "Now, do want to get some training in?" He drew his black sword, made of Stygian rock. "What? But I don't even have a sword or anything!" I stammered. "Here, then." He grabbed a spare sword lying on the table beside him and handed it to me. I held it in both hands and opened it. I slid my finger across the edge to test its sharpness. "Ow!" it was extremely sharp, and it made a cut from the slightest touch.

"It's made from a mixture of celestial bronze and titanium," Nico said, running a hand through his hair. "So it can still harm mortals. You have to be careful." "Okay," I said breathlessly. "Now, show me what you've got!" he readied his sword. I took a swipe for his leg, but he easily blocked it. "Thats just sad," Nico shook his head. "You have to learn to find your opponents weak spots before you go in and strike." He demonstrated for me, figuring out that I have the slightest hesitation in my left foot and used that to his advantage.

We trained for a good forty five minutes, then decided to take a break. "There's water over there," Nico panted, pointing to a set of coolers over by the trees. "Thanks," I said, wiping sweat off my forehead. I took a styrofoam cup and filled it with ice water, eagerly draining it in one gulp. "Don't you want any?" I asked, noticing his drenched hair. "No," he said, licking his dry lips. "You sure? You look pretty hot." I blushed when I realized he was staring at me in a weird way. "No, that's not what I meant! I just thought that since your wearing all black and a jacket that you'd be feeling pretty warm..." he surprised me when he began to laugh. It was soft, rarely heard laughter, and it shocked me; Nico looked extremely different when he wasn't frowning. "Heh heh– that was actually pretty funny," he smiled. I smiled back weakly, and took another gulp of water.

We walked up to the pavilion for lunch, and took our opposite seats. "Hey!" Astrid came bouncing up to me. "Hey," I said, wiping sweat off my forehead. "Isn't it great here?!" she grinned happily. "Not really," I grumbled, shoving my hands in my pockets. "It's too hot, and sweaty, and buggy, and outdoorsy." "No it's not! Not for me, anyways!" she cocked her head. "Whats up with you? You're really grumpy." I glared at the table. "Nothing. I just want to go back to air conditioned buildings. I'm a city girl; I'm not meant to be out in the country like this, training all day in the heat." Astrid shrugged. "It's not that bad. There are a lot of worse things in the world." "Thats easy for you to say! Your half a god!" I snarled, my patience snapping. "This should be a paradise for you! You have a cabin full of siblings, the food is natural to you, you practically live right next to your crush. and you're literally friends with nature!" Astrid looked hurt.

"It's not my fault that you don't enjoy it here, Katie. I get it if your angry, but you don't need to take it out on people you love," she said calmly. "Plus, you and Nico di Angelo seem to be getting pretty close..." "Shut up!" I hissed. "We've only known each other for two days! And whats it to you if I hang out with guys?" "It's plenty of my business. I don't want my friend hanging out with the wrong kinds of people," she turned away from me. "And by the way, Noah and I never talk." I glared at her as she walked back to her table. "Why so tense?" Rachel sat down next to me. "You...!" I confronted her. "Nice job setting me up down there!" I punched her softly in the shoulder. "But you learned a lot, didn't you?" she helped herself to some Greek salad, ignoring my hit. "Yeah, I guess," I mumbled, slumping down in my seat. "See? I know what I'm doing," Rachel said cheerfully. I raised my eyebrows and picked up a green apple from a bowl of fruit. "What activity do I have next?" "Arts and crafts with the satyrs. I'll be there too." "Hmm. So Shane'll be there?" I asked. "Most likely. He was saying something about making a statue of Pan to put in the forest," Rachel snorted. "Satyrs..."

I soon forgot the incident with Astrid and we headed down to the forges. A tall, brown haired guy greeted us. "Sup Rachel. Who's your friend?" "Hey, Will. This is Katie; she'll be adding to the defense force," Rachel sounded tired. Will wiped his palms off on a towel and we shook hands. "Hi," I smiled briefly. "This is Will, the head of the Hephaestus cabin," Rachel sighed. Will grinned.

"Yo, Will! Stop flirting with the ladies!" Shane called from the tent." I pushed past Will and Rachel. "Hey," I poked my head into the tent. "Hey there," the satyr was cooling a knife in a bucket of water. "Did you bring my stuff back here?" I asked, admiring a rack of nice spears. "No," Shane looked at me weirdly. "But Chiron did send me out last night. I had to work the Mist on your parents..." "What? Why?!" I spun around. Shane grimaced apologetically. "I'm sorry, but Chiron's orders. All I did was make them understand that their daughter is living at a camp where she learns to fight Greek monsters." Despite my anger, I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of my mom being okay with me being around dangerous weapons, not to mention blood thirsty monsters. "But if you didn't bring my bag, then who did?" my laughter died. Shane shrugged. "Huh, that's odd..." I mused. "So anyways, show me how to make those knives..."

The Hermes cabin joined us in the class, and we were all instructed to make either a sword or knife. We got to choose and mix our own materials, so I chose meteorite. "A meteor?" Will asked, peering over my shoulder. "Sure, why not?" I smiled. "It'll be heavy," he warned. "Pfft, so?" I poured the mixture of celestial bronze and meteor into the mold. "Just saying." he shrugged. "Now you have to give it a name." "A what? You can't be serious," I scoffed. His expression said otherwise. "It forms a bond between the owner and the blade, so that you are practically one with the sword when you fight." "Fine. Uh, how about κοράκι?" I said. "That's a fine name. It means 'raven', right?" Will nodded in approval. "Yeah. It seems special, don't you think?"

Rachel an I laughed and hung out throughout the day, having fun with the activities. When it came time for dinner, we went back up to the cave to drop off our new weapons. "Todays been better than I expected," I admitted, setting κοράκι down on the side table. "See? Camp life isn't so bad," Rachel grinned. This made me slightly sad, and I thought of Astrid. 'I'll apologize to her tonight,' I thought. We walked down to the pavilion and saw all of the campers scattered among themselves, chatting and laughing. I tried to spot Astrid among the crowd, but there were too many demigods in the way. I walked past the Apollo kids and over to the Athena group.

"Hey, have you guys seen Astrid?" I asked two little kids. "Yeah, I think she went over that way," the little blond girl pointed back over to the Apollo guys. "Oh dear..." I smacked my forehead, and walked over to them. I heard a surprised gasp, and turned to saw the one and only Noah Peterson tightly embracing Astrid. I coughed and turned away, walking back to the head table. "Hey, Katie! Wait up!" I heard her voice call after me. A few milliseconds later, Astrid came trotting up to me, a dizzy smile plastered on her face. "I don't even want to know," I grinned. She smiled stupidly. "But I do owe you an apology," I said, my smile fading. "You were right; its not my friend's fault if I get jealous."  
"Hey, don't worry about it," Astrid smiled, pulling me into a hug. I stiffened, very surprised. "What the...? You never hug me," I stared at her like she was some unknown new species. She grinned. "Let's just say I'm in a good mood."

"Heroes! May I have your attention!" Chiron stood. There was silence among the campers. "Tonight we host the monthly tournament of capture the flag, and since the Ares cabin has not ceased to maim the other campers, they will be temporarily excluded from this game." There was a series of boos and hisses from the Ares cabin. "Silence!" Chiron bellowed, stamping his hoof. "It is the only fair way." A variety of weapons appeared on the tables. "Arm yourselves!" I grabbed a helmet and snatched a sturdy looking knife from the table. "The blue team will consist of the Apollo, Hermes, Athena, and Hephaestus cabins, and the red team will be the Janus, Dionysus, Nyx, Hypnos, and other minor gods." Mr. D shot Chiron a glare. The centaur shifted nervously. "Great," I breathed to Rachel. "So what team are we on, since we're not demigods?" "The neutral team," Rachel grinned mischievously. "That means we can interfere with whichever team we want." She grabbed a silver helmet with a purple feather plume, strapping a bow and quiver over her shoulders. "Let's go."

We made out way down to the woods, and jumped over the creek boundary. "Now, the idea of our team is to turn the teams around, confusing them from which way they're banners are," Rachel whispered. "We can choose to set traps, fight, or give false directions, anything as long as it distracts them." "Awesome. So, is there any rule about attacking a camper you dislike?" I asked hopefully. Rachel grinned slyly. "Not that I know of..." I did a silent cheer and set off through the trees. "Sweet! I've always wanted to test Percy's abilities!" Time to hunt some sea gods.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Quest

* * *

We rounded Zeus's Fist, a large pile of five rocks, and crouched in wait. "Okay, so the Athena cabin should be sending scouts this way soon," Rachel whispered. "We'll climb up above them and then strike. Watch out for the ones with the spears." I nodded and gripped the hilt of my short sword. "They'll look for your weakness, so you've got to be quick," she continued, drawing her bow. "Oh great," I gulped, shrinking lower onto the ground. I heard a twig snap. "Shh!" she mouthed and became still as a statue. Slowly, Rachel nocked an arrow, and I unsheathed my weapon.

"Go!" she indicated the rocks above us. I nodded quickly and began to silently climb the huge boulders, Rachel following behind me. I pulled myself up on top of the rock and, to my fear, saw two Athena warriors right below us. Rachel drew back her bowstring, preparing to strike. I crawled closer to the edge and my foot slipped, sending me head over heels on top of one of the campers. "κατάρα σας!" Rachel hissed. The camper I had knocked over was on her feet again in a few seconds, and drew her bow. I scrambled backwards on the ground, trying to escape. *whiz!* An arrow came sailing down and imbedded itself in the Athena kid's shoulder. She yelped and dropped her sword, clutching at the wound.

"Get up, Katie!" Rachel snarled, jumping down from Zeus's Fist. "Sorry!" I grabbed my shield and sword from a pile of leaves. "And you..." Rachel turned to the other scout. "Go get help." He nodded quickly and scurried off. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked, kneeling beside the wounded camper. "No," she coughed. I gently slid her helmet off. "Astrid?" I gasped. "The one and only," Astrid grumbled. "What's the big idea?!" I rounded on Rachel, bringing myself up to my full height. "It's our job to interfere!" she said, dropping her weapon. "So you send a foot and a half long arrow into her shoulder?" my voice was rising. "And then you send for help? It was your fault in the first place!"

Rachel looked back at me defiantly. "It's the way the game works. Or did you think it was some happy-go-lucky board game where everybody wins?"

"Guys, stop it," Astrid glared at us. "It doesn't hurt that bad, geez. It's actually kinda cool. Just think, I'm gonna have a battle scar!" She tugged lightly at the arrow and gave a yelp of pain. "Liar," I snickered. "Don't pull on it, that'll only tear out flesh," Rachel sounded bored. I glared at her. A galloping sound issued in the distance. "Looks like Chiron's here," she said, standing up. Sure enough, the chestnut centaur came cantering into the clearing. "Astrid, are you all right?" he asked, kneeling beside her. "Yeah," Astrid grimaced. "Come, we must get you to the infirmary." He motioned for her to climb onto his back. She looked hesitantly at him for a second, and then obeyed.

The Athena team ended up winning...as usual. Rachel and I were still sort of on stiff terms, but still spoke to each other.

"Congratulations to the Athena team, again," Chiron presented the opposite flag to them. "And a record has been set, since only one camper was injured this t—"

"Who? Who was it?" a voice called, interrupting him. Chiron looked mildly surprised. "Astrid Nightin—" he was cut off again as a boy came springing through the crowd. "Noah?" I raised an eyebrow. I gave me a brief smile before dashing off towards the infirmary. "That'll give Astrid a nice surprise," I chuckled to myself.

I later went up to the infirmary to see her. The healers said that her shoulder would be fine, but that she'd have to rest for a couple days. "Ughhh," Astrid complained, "get me outta here!"

"Dude, you just had a foot and a half long arrow yanked out of your joint! You've gotta chill," I said, rolling my eyes. "But I'm bored! All I do is sit here and watch my pillow!" she whined. "Oh, yeah. I'm sure you were very bored when Noah came up to visit," I smirked. Astrid blushed. "Not even funny," she muttered, turning onto her side. "Aw, look! He even got you some flowers," I said, thoroughly enjoying myself. "There is no proof that those are his," she sniffed.

"Who else would they be from?" I asked dryly. "The janitor?"  
"I don't know!" Astrid snapped. I looked more closely at the flowers. They were carnations. I looked up in pure shock. The dream. Thanatos had been walking in a field of carnations. I stood up quickly. "Where are you going?" she asked, cocking her head.

"I'll be back soon. I just remembered something very important!" I called over my shoulder, racing out the door. I sprinted down the hill and around the U shaped cabins, heading for the Big House. "C-Chiron!" I panted, stoping in front of the chestnut centaur. "Katie? I thought you went up to visit Astrid?" he said, looking up from his game of pinocle. "I-I did, sir," my chest heaved from running at full speed. "But I just remembered something extremely important!"  
Chiron motioned for me to continue.

"I had a dream," I began, "that Thanatos visited me." Chiron's eyes filled with worry. "Continue, child." "Well, he showed me an island. A very beautiful island; it looked sort if like the strawberry fields. There were a few people on it, souls I think. They were standing at the shoreline, and then all of a sudden they started to vanish. Just into thin air! Then I heard Thanatos's voice again. He told me that if someone doesn't act soon, that the Underworld will cease to exist."  
Chiron stood up to his full height and paced the ground. "This can't be happening..." he murmured.

"What? What do you mean?" I asked queasily. Chiron stopped and looked at me, his face grim. "Find Annabeth and Nico di Angelo. Bring them here. Hurry!" he ignored my question and ushered me off. I stumbled off and raced to the Athena cabin. It was modeled after ancient Greek style, so the entire cabin was made of marble. Huge, white pillars stood at the front entrance, and the outline of an owl was carved into the marble slab on top of them.  
Without bothering to knock, I flew open the intricately designed doors. "Hey guys, is An—" I stopped when I saw none other than Annabeth herself wrapped tightly in the arms of Percy Jackson. I grimaced. Leave it to me to ruin a tender moment.

I coughed. It seemed to startle them both and Annabeth drew away, flustered. "Katie, w-what are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes turning stormy.

I took a step back instinctively. "Chiron needs you and Nico at the Big House. Now." I thought I saw a flicker of rage in Annabeth's eyes, but a moment later they were calm again. "Fine. Come on, lets go find the 'Ghost King'."  
I nervously nodded. Percy started after us, but I stopped him. "Er, not you. I mean, Chiron was specific not to bring anyone else."  
"Oh." his sea-green eyes looked slightly amused. "Okay then."  
"I'll see you later," Annabeth mouthed to him. Percy nodded and we left the Athena cabin.

Annabeth and I didn't talk the entire way to the Hades cabin. She kept her eyes straight ahead, but that did nothing to ease the unspoken tension. I tried to focus on finding Nico, and not on the fact that they had been about to kiss before I interrupted.

We reached the Hades cabin within a minute or so. It was made of black obsidian, and was slightly isolated from the other cabins. There was no barbed wire or anything like that on the outside, like I'd been expecting, but it instead seemed creepily peaceful (in an eery kind of way).

"Why don't you go and knock?" Annabeth asked, crossing her arms. "O-Okay," I said, silently thinking, 'Please don't hurt me!'. I walked up the shiny, dark steps and rapped softly on the oaken doors.

"Who is it?" came an annoyed, yet familiar voice. "It's me, Katie," I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

"Come in." Nico's voice lost its irritation. I hesitantly walked inside. Nico sat on a bed close to the ground, sharpening his sword on something shiny. I briefly glanced around. For a Hades themed house, it was beautiful, if you don't mind slightly emo things. The walls were painted a dark gray, and a large crack ran through the cold, black floor. On one shelf, there were a collection of sharp knives, and on another sat a lone, golden figurine. I looked curiously at it. Why would Nico keep such a childish thing?

"So why are you here?" Nico's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Oh, well I went to see Chiron about a dream I had, and he wants you and Annabeth down at the Big House." I said. He looked up. "Must be important; Chiron never calls me for anything."  
I nodded, motioning for him to come. "Okay," Nico stood up and stretched, the silver chains on his pockets jangling. We met Annabeth outside and she raised an eyebrow. "What took you so long?" she smirked. "Shut up," I muttered, a slight blush coming to my face, "we were only talking." "Uh huh, sure."

Nico, listening to our exchange, glanced awkwardly at the ground and shook his hair so it covered his eyes.  
Annabeth and I continued to bicker until we were back at the Big House. Unfortunately, Chiron had called Mr. D to handle the situation as well and they were talking over two glasses of coke. "Chiron, I've got them," I said, politely waiting until they had finished their conversation.

"Ah, thank you, child," Chiron looked up (or rather down) at us. "Annabeth, Nico, take a seat." He gestured at the two empty chairs beside him. "What's going on?" Annabeth asked, concerned. Chiron looked grave, and recalled my dream, as well as his suspicions.

"...and I believe that once again, the Doors of Death have been opened." he concluded, folding his hands. "That's impossible," Nico said bluntly. "I've been to the Underworld multiple times this month and my father hasn't shown any sign that there's something wrong." Annabeth pondered this. I looked at both of them, trying to analyze their expressions, and said, "But why would Thanatos appear to me?" "Because he's a freak demon," Nico snorted, crossing his arms.

"Well actually, according to ancient descriptions and Percy's memory, Thanatos is very beautiful and—"

"Shut up, Annabeth," he and I said at the same time.

Annabeth blushed and looked down. "Well, it's true..." she muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Look, if we don't decide something soon, Elysium is going to die," I said, unsheathing my short sword and using it to pick dirt off my shoe. "Well, technically..." Nico mimicked Annabeth in a high pitched voice. Annabeth glared at him and gripped her dagger.

"Enough!" Chiron stamped his hoof. "What we need...is a quest."  
My heart jumped to my throat. Annabeth looked unsurprised and Nico bored. "Okay. Who'll go on it?" Annabeth asked, drumming her fingers on the table. "That remains uncertain. Someone must go to Rachel, first of all," Chiron said.  
"That mortal brat had better stay out of it," Mr. D spoke up for the first time during our conversation. I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" I asked defensively. Mr. D looked dryly over at me. "You heard me. Quests are for demigods only."

"I'd agree to differ," I retorted. "Rachel went on a quest once!" "Katie, don't provoke him," Nico murmured in my ear. Mr. D narrowed his fiery eyes and said lowly, "Don't test me, mortal. I am capable of unspeakable things, scenes that will haunt your mind forever. You are lucky I haven't already strangled you."

Chiron stepped between us and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Now is not the time to argue, Katie," he whispered. "Now go with Nico and see Rachel. Annabeth and I will sort out Dionysus."

I nodded grudgingly and stood up out of my chair. Nico di Angelo followed and we walked away from the pinocle table. "Don't think this is over, Kate. I'm watching you..." I heard the god shout. I broke into a run, terrified, and left Nico trailing behind.

I ran until I had put a good distance between the Big House and myself, slowing down. My chest felt like somebody had tried to acupuncture my lungs, and I doubled over, coughing.  
"Katie!" Nico came stumbling down a hill. "Are you okay?" I managed to shake my head no. "Asthma," I hacked.

"Oh, snap! Oh, uh—geez, are you okay? Oh gods, this is bad!" he started to freak out. I smiled slightly. "Dude, it's fine. I just need my inhaler." Another cough racked my body. "Where is it? Do you have it with you?" Nico pushed his scraggly hair out of his eyes. I nodded. "It's—*cough*—in my bag up at Rachel's cave."  
"Okay, er, come on then," he held out his hand. "Where are we going," I asked. "To Rachel's cave, duh," Nico said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Just trust me."

He helped me up and muttered, "This might be a little awkward," before sliding one of his arms around my waist. I stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, it's the only way I can shadow-travel with another person," Nico muttered sheepishly, adjusting himself so we were in the total shade of a tree. I racked my brain for what shadow-traveling was again before a feeling of icy coldness washed over me. I looked up in fear at Nico, to see that he looked perfectly calm and was using his other arm to press against the trunk of the tree. "Just stay calm," he said, concentrating even harder. "It'll help the process." I tried to calm my nerves, but with my lungs so tight it was nearly impossible to stay focused. Slowly, my vision went completely dark and I found the cold feeling intensify. "Nico!" I panicked.

"Don't worry. I'm right here." I heard his voice say, and I felt his grip around me tighten. I allowed my shoulders to relax, and I tried to concentrate on breathing. All I could see was complete darkness, and there was no ground beneath my feet. Then, it was over as quick as it had come. The solidness of the grass met my feet and my vision became clear again. I looked around and saw that we stood right in front of Rachel's place. "How...?" I looked up at Nico, who had still not removed his arm from around me. "Like I said, shadow-traveling," he looked slightly tired. We walked through the cave entrance and into the modernized living space.

"Katie? Nico?" Rachel looked up from a sketch pad she held in her hand. She raised an eyebrow. "Well, I see you two have gotten awfully friendly." Her eyes strayed to Nico's arm.

He withdrew almost instantly. "Shut up, Rachel. Katie was in the middle of an asthma attack and we had to shadow-travel!"  
I nodded in agreement, my face burning. I walked over to my bed and rustled through my bag, taking out my inhaler. The cool medicine immediately relieved my ragged breathing, and I sighed in contentment.  
"Uh huh," Rachel sounded like she didn't believe a word he said. "Do you WANT to get on my bad side?" Nico said lowly, his hand sliding onto his sword hilt. "No, Mr. Emo," she rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, Rachel, I have something to ask you," I said, interrupting them. "Ask away," she smiled, all former tension between us gone. "Well," I took a deep breath, "Chiron said we need a prophecy." "Oh..." Rachel stopped moving her pencil. "Yeah...so...how does this whole Oracle thingy work?" I asked, drumming my fingers on my leg.

"Well, you probably already know how the green mist spews out of my mouth," Rachel said. "So I dunno, I guess they just come to me."

I nodded, slightly creeped out. Suddenly, her whole body went stiff. "Crud. Here she goes," Nico said, backing a few feet away. Just as I had read, a greenish smoke began to tumble out of Rachel's mouth and nose. Her eyes glazed over.

"Three shall go to the place of the dead  
Through fire or water, the fields many tread,  
One who's soul is pure and wise,  
must face her fears through cunning demise,  
Never shall the brave one die,  
but fate will reap the silenced cry,  
The choice is his to leave behind,  
death and love as one intertwined."

Her voice sent goosebumps up my spine, and I began to shake. The mist faded from Rachel's mouth and her eyes returned to normal.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again," I half joked.  
She sank back into a chair, weary. "What happened?" Rachel asked bleakly.

"Prophecy. Nothing major," Nico said, sarcastically. "Well, then," Rachel smiled, "now you know what it's like." I nodded, the image of her possessed body still haunting my brain. "So...what now?" I asked.

"Well, normally the person who receives the prophecy leads a quest..." Rachel hesitated, tapping her pencil thoughtfully. "No way!" I immediately rejected, "I'm not leading a quest!" "The choice isn't yours," Nico said grimly. "The prophecy was given to you."

I looked helplessly back and forth between the two. "Do I have to go alone?" I whimpered. "Pftt, heck no," Nico snorted. "You can take two people of your choice with you."  
I felt a little pressure lifted off my shoulders. "Great. So, do I like, report back to Chiron?" I questioned, grabbing my bag.

"Yeah, I suppose. You might want to pack incase you're leaving immediately," Rachel looked up from her drawing. "Make sure you have only necessary stuff and leave your entertainment behind."  
I scowled and dropped my phone onto the bed. "Don't let Shane crush it," I grumbled, shouldering my bag. Rachel grinned. "I won't."

I thanked her and began to walk outside. I heard footsteps behind me and I turned around to see Nico following me. I raised an eyebrow. "Going somewhere?" he asked. "Back down to Chiron, dumbo," I said obviously.  
"Dude, that's a mile walk down steep, rocky hillside," he stated. I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. "Yeah, so? There's no other way to get there."

"Well..." Nico trailed off. "I'm not shadow-traveling again," I said, flatly. "That was terrifying."

"But you're still here, safe and sound," he pressed. His words brought a Taylor Swift song to my mind, and I found myself humming. "But still, I felt like I was drowning in darkness," I said, cutting myself off. "It's better than this sweltering heat," he gestured to the muggy air all around us.

"And bugs, and sweat, and—"

"Okay! That's enough!" I butted in. "Fine. I'll do it."

Nico looked like he'd just scored a touchdown. "Okay, um, come over into the shade then."

I obeyed and stood in the shadow of a giant sycamore. He once again pressed his hand against the trunk and held out his other. I uncomfortably scooted closer and, before he could snake his arm around me, blocked him by merely holding hands. Nico paused for a moment as I did this, but then continued focusing. Slowly, my vision started to fade again and the temperature dropped. I shivered and closed my eyes, trying to block out the feeling of suffocation. I started to tremble, but with a reassuring squeeze from Nico's hand, felt slightly more confident. A few seconds later, I felt the solidness of the ground return and the the temp shoot straight back up to 100.

I opened my eyes again to see us back at the Big House. I hastily let go of Nico's hand, not wanting any more prying speculations, and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. Mr. D was gone from the pinocle table, and Chiron and Annabeth sat talking. I cleared my throat. "We're back," I said, "with a prophecy."  
Annabeth's eyes filled with worry. Chiron's eyes stayed emotionless. "Continue," he said.

I took a deep breath and recited the prophecy. Chiron stroked his beard when I had finished. "It's sounds like you'll be taking a visit to the Underworld," he said grimly.  
I gulped, and looked nervously over at Annabeth. "But what about the whole 'reap the silenced cry' thing?" I asked. She shrugged. "Prophecies never have clear meanings."  
"No duh."

Chiron cleared his throat, interrupting us. "I believe that it would be best if we kept this prophecy and quest a secret for now," he said, swishing his tail. Annabeth opened her mouth in protest. "You mean, I can't tell Percy?!" Chiron nodded apologetically. "The less people who know, the better."  
I nodded in agreement. "Now, only one thing remains," the centaur turned to me. "You must choose your companions."  
My mouth went dry. "Okay," I squeaked. I pondered in thought. "I'll take Astrid," I decided, not wanting to be completely unfamiliar with my traveling buddies. Chiron nodded. "And who else?"

"Hmmm," I furrowed my brow.

"I'd like to go," Nico, who hadn't spoken the entire time, stood up. I glanced at him, unsure. "Think about it," he said, crossing his arms. "If we're going to the Underworld you'll need a guide. I've been there multiple times, and I know the place back to front."  
"He's got a point," Annabeth mused. I considered this. "Alright," I decided, "you can come too." Nico nodded curtly. "When do we leave?" he asked.

I turned to Chiron. "I would think it would be wisest to wait until morning," he said, "so you are well rested for the long journey ahead."

"Okay." I nodded and stood back up. The sun was already setting, and the pinkish-orange glow on the horizon was slowly shrinking. "Can you tell Astrid that she needs to be ready at 7 tomorrow morning?" I asked Annabeth. "Sure," she agreed. "I'll go tell her now." She left us standing there on the porch and began to head back to the Athena cabin. "You too, Skullboy," I hit Nico playfully in the the arm.

"Don't call me Skullboy."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Journey

* * *

I woke up early the next morning around 6. My nerves were acting up too, making me feel sick to my stomach. I double-checked to make sure I had everything, and then scribbled a quick goodbye note to Rachel. I zipped up my jacket and shouldered my backpack, walking out of the familiar cave and out into the forest.  
'Everything's going to be okay,' I thought to myself, kicking up a few leaves as I went. It was cooler in the morning, and I could faintly see a puff of steam from my breath in the crisp air. I followed the well-worn trail through the trees and back down l the slope, heading for the pavilion. As I crossed the grassy turf, I heard something clatter outside one of the cabins. For some reason I grew stiff and tense. "Hello?" I called, my hand slipping down to my knife handle.

"It's just me." Annabeth emerged from behind a stone pillar supporting the cabin's roof. "Sorry if I scared you."

I exhaled in relief. "Hey. What are you doing up?" "I could ask you the same thing," she crossed her arms. "I couldn't get back to sleep," I yawned. "Ah. I just wanted to make sure I could see you off." Annabeth said, stretching. "Astrid's awake, by the way; she should be out in a few minutes."

"Okay, great." I sat down on a small tree stump. We waited a few minutes in silence, occasionally catching each others eye. "By the way, I wanted to give you this, for good luck," Annabeth broke the silence, pulling something out if her pocket. She drew out a small, golden chain. "Umm, thanks?" I took the stand in my hand.

"It'll protect you if you're in danger," she said. I stared at the 3-inch long cord. "No offense, but how the heck can something like this help me?" I asked, doubtfully. Annabeth extended her arm and tapped the chain with her fingertips. It instantly grew to be around ten feet long, it's ends continuing to stretch in my hand.

"Oh." I gaped at the now 15 foot long metal rope in my hand. Annabeth smiled. "See? You can also adjust it to whatever size you want." She touched it again and the cord shrank to necklace length.

"I...wow...this is amazing, Annabeth!" I took the small loop of chain and wound it around my wrist. "But, uh, it doesn't have secret ninja abilities that can strangle me, right?"  
She laughed. "Of course not!"

The marble doors to the Athena cabin opened silently, and the figure of Astrid slipped out. "Hey," she said quietly, walking up to us. I stood back up. "Hey. You don't mind that I chose you to come, r—" I asked worriedly. Astrid gave me one of her special 'Shut up, Katie' glances, silencing me. "Yes, I want to come, you daft dimbo."

"Okay, good." I nodded like I hadn't said anything. Annabeth turned towards her. "I'll see you soon," Astrid promised, her voice cracking.

"Don't worry, all three of you will be okay." Annabeth pulled us each into separate hugs. I felt the information sink in, and I suddenly realized how petrified I was. "Bye..." I swallowed and pulled away. "C'mon Astrid." We said our goodbyes to Annabeth and continued to the pavilion.

"I don't know about you, but I'm terrified," I half laughed.  
"Are you kidding? It's gonna be great!" Astrid yipped happily.

"Oh, so you think 'fate will reap the silenced cry' is great?"

"Well, I guess not, but c'mon! This is going to be a great experience!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, whatever."  
We trotted through the deserted grounds and up to the empty dining court. Chiron's mighty form greeted us as we approached. Nico di Angelo was slumped against the shadowed wall. A slight shiver went down my spine and stood up a little straighter. "Are you ready?" Chiron asked, swishing his tail. Astrid and I nodded. "Where's our first stop?" she questioned, drawing out a small pad of paper. I peered curiously over her shoulder at the notebook.

"We'll be driven to the border of New York, but no further. After that, if everything goes well, I'll try to get us a rental car and we'll head for Hollywood." Nico said. "Who's driving the rental car? None of us have our licenses," I pointed out.  
"I do," he turned his dark brown eyes towards me. "And even if I didn't, I know a few of my father's clients who work as auto salesman."

"Oh." I felt stupid for asking.

"Well, I believe you three should get going," Chiron said, breaking the awkward moment. "The sun is already rising." He was right. An orange glow was dawning on the horizon. "I send with you five golden drachmas and two hundred dollars of mortal money," he continued, making a three fingered claw over his heart. I remembered what this meant and copied him. "Good bye, sir. I hope to see you soon," I said, casting the old centaur a grateful look. "Me too. May good fortune rest upon you," he smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. And may the odds be ever in your favor," Nico sarcastically referenced. "Anymore blessings you have?!"  
Chiron ignored him. "Farewell, children." We waved and began to hike up Half-Blood Hill. Had we stayed behind, we would have heard the centaur's warning, but we trotted off too quickly.  
"Mars is bright tonight...be careful..." (Centaurs have impeccable astronomy reading abilities that help them predict the future.)

We met Argus down at the road outside the borders of Camp Half Blood. He blinked his many blue eyes at us and motioned for us to get in the strawberry van. "I call shotgun!" Astrid bounced happily over to the passengers side. "Fine, jerk," I laughed, climbing into the backseat. Nico slid in on the other side and Argus into the driver's seat. I set my bag in the middle seat and pulled out a small sketch book and pen.

"κατάρα αυτό το ηλίθιο πράγμα με την αιώνια καταδίκη!"I heard someone curse. I looked up and saw that Nico was holding the tattered strap that was left of his seatbelt. "Oh, here!" I moved my bag onto the floor, making room in the middle seat. Nico blinked for a moment and then slid over. "Uh, thanks," he seemed slightly embarrassed. "Sure," I said.  
"Cause I'm all about safety," I heard him mutter. Argus started the car and began to drive down the dusty road. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was uncomfortably aware of how close Nico was to me. Wait a second, why would I care?!

Astrid turned around in her seat and peeped through the gap between the chair and the headrest. "You are such a creeper," I stared at her. She made a disturbing, stalker face. "What?! I'm bored!"

I focused back on my sketch book again and began to draw a rough circle. I drew the soft lead across the paper, and slowly the circle became a detailed head. I etched thin, flowing strokes as I added the hair, and made the eyes look alive. "Who are you drawing?" Nico peered over my shoulder.  
"Oh, no one. Just a character from a book," I murmured subconsciously, continuing to add features to the face. I then began to draw an outline of the character's body, creating twists where his arms and legs bent. Soon, the picture was finished. It showed a man with sandy, shoulder length hair and a marten perched on his shoulder. The man was dressed in a performers outfit, maybe for a circus in the Middle Ages. Out of his fingertips came dancing little flames, and they licked up his arms to the silvery scar on his left cheek.

"Who is he?" Nico said abruptly, glaring at the sketch. "Chill, dude. He's. A. Character. In. A. Book," I slowly told him, as if talking to a little child.

"Oh. I knew that."

"Yeah right." I snickered, shutting the notebook closed. I leaned against the window and closed my eyes, trying to get a little more sleep before we reached the border. The glass was cool against my face, and I sighed through my nose. We drove in silence for an hour, occasionally hitting a bump in the road.

SCREECH!

I was jolted awake as Argus jerked the wheel to the left, sending the car skidding across the thin black asphalt. The world seemed to rotate in slow motion, and I heard someone screaming. The car spun a few times before coming to a stop in the grass. I was thrown against the window and my head began to throb.

"Wh–what's the big idea?! I asked fuzzily, trying to shake the red spots out if my eyes.  
"Sorry," Argus grunted . "Thought I saw something in the road."  
I inhaled a shaky breath. "Are you guys okay?"  
Nico nodded and Astrid breathed a sickly, "Yes." "Okay," I drew my knees up to my chest. After a minute, Astrid pulled out a folded map. "We're right near the edge of Manhattan," she said, tracing her finger along a blue line on the paper.  
"I say we head out now."

"But—" "Do want to have that maniac drive us again?" Nico hissed.  
"True. Meet you outside."

"We'll just stop here, Argus," Astrid told him. He blinked his many eyes in goodbye. I grabbed my bag and unlocked my door, setting foot out in the tall grass. Astrid and Nico followed and Nico said, "This way. I know the way from here." 'I hope so,' I thought, the grass starting to irritate my ankles. We walked for maybe a block and a half, rounding corners and buildings. Hunger began to gnaw at my stomach, and I asked, "How far is it to the car dealership? I'm starving."

"We'll be there soon," Nico promised, "but I suppose we can stop for some lunch." We stopped at a small café on the border of Pennsylvania.

"Hello there!" the waitress greeted us with a large smile. "Uh, hi. Table for three, please," I said uncomfortably. She led us to a small table outside that overlooked a large park. We ordered our drinks and looked at the menu. "Try not to go over ten dollars, guys," Astrid pointed out. "We only have two hundred bucks." "Okay. Hmm," I searched the list for an inexpensive sandwich. Nico closed his menu folder and seemed to survey out surroundings.  
"Oh, crap." I looked up and saw that his eyes were wide with terror. "What is it? What's wrong?" I asked frantically.

Nico just shook his head and mumbled to himself. "I haven't seen him since Tartarus...can't be him..." "Oh look!" Astrid squeaked, her eyes shining with adoration, "It's a little duck!" I turned to where she was pointing. A fuzzy, little duckling was half hidden in the bushes. "Aww!" I smiled at it.  
"Th–that's not a duck, guys..." Nico looked extremely pale. I squinted in horror and saw what he meant. The 'duck' had now grown one long, purple horn out of the center of its forehead, and two enormous bat wings sprouted out of its growing body. It's hind legs became tawny and golden, with sharp claws protruding out of each toe. A long tail with a fuzzy tuft at the end curled in the air, and its beady black eyes stared in hate.

"It's a δράκο λιοντάρι πάπια μονόκερος!" Astrid yelped, scrambling away from the bush. "A what?!" I yelled, holding my plate up as a shield. "Better known as the spawn of a duck, lion, unicorn, and dragon!" Nico said, drawing his sword. "In English, I'd call it a drionduckicorn."

I would have laughed if I wasn't dumbfounded. The monster turned its long neck towards me.  
"Katie," Nico whispered, "step away very slowly." I nodded and took a small step backwards. The monster hissed and flapped its wings. The holes in its beak that I presumed were its nostrils began to smoke. "Guys!" I began to panic.  
"Don't run!" Astrid shouted. "It's about to breathe fire!"  
"Oh, like that makes me want to relax!" I said sarcastically, drawing my titanium knife. The creature's eyes narrowed and it opened its beak. Three rows of glistening, sharp teeth greeted my sight.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Astrid begin to edge her way around. I grabbed for something–anything I could use as a weapon. Then I did a very heroic thing, and flung the restaurant menu at the duck-unicorn-lion-dragon-thingy. It struck the beast right between its soulless eyes and made it squawk in surprise. "Oh yeah! That's called mortal-style!" I yipped, taking my chance to scramble away. Astrid pulled out her bow and notched two arrows, something I've never been able to do. She aimed steadily, and then released her grip. The two long sticks of death whizzed through the air and implanted themselves in the leathery sinew of the monster's left wing.

It quacked in pain and flames shot out of its beak. "Nice shot!" I shouted, wincing as a spark caught on my shoelace.

"Thanks!" Astrid sent another arrow flying at the duck-dragon's tail. It bounced off the bone and impaled itself in the tail like a large piercing. Dust began to pour out of the beast's wounds. It bobbed its duck head helplessly. "I'll do the honors," Nico di Angelo stepped forward and raised his obsidian blade. I felt slight mercy tug at my heart when I saw the look in the creature's eyes at the last moment. Nico closed his eyes and brought the sword down on its neck. Now, I am famous for having one of the weakest stomachs in the world, even if its only dust poring out of a be headed animal.

"That image'll haunt me at night," I stepped hesitantly forward at looked at the corpse. "Here," Nico bent down and grabbed something. "This belongs to you." He gently pressed the purple δράκο λιοντάρι πάπια horn into my hands.  
"No it doesn't!" I said, shaking my head. "I barely did anything."

"Well, true, but still." Nico grinned. "Am I right, Astrid?"

"Sure, lover boy..." Astrid smirked. "Excuse me?" Nico and I both asked, just embarrassing me further. "Nothing. Just keep the stupid horn."

I muttered something under my breath and took the spirally horn. "I'm still hungry," I grumbled, grabbing my backpack. "Me too. But I don't think it's a good idea to stick around much longer." Nico said, grabbing an appetizer breadstick from a basket on a nearby table. He tossed it to me. "Thanks," I nibbled on it. "How far is the car dealership?"  
"Just a few blocks away," he twisted his skull ring, an odd habit I had begun to notice.

"Here we are, your food—" our waitress came out, and at the sight of the smoking and burning grass, screamed.  
"Yeah, we'd better get out of here," I said, watching her run away shouting. "The Muggles will start to suspect things..." "What?" Nico cocked his head like a curious puppy. Astrid and I started laughing. "Nothing...inside joke..."

We walked a few blocks till we reached 63rd Street, and I stopped at a large pawn shop. "What's the point of that?" Astrid asked, as I purchased a small map of the local city. "It'll help us go our way around," I snapped, opening the seemingly tiny piece of paper. It unfolded into about fifteen little squares. I turned it several different ways, trying to locate our location. "Curse you geography!" I wailed, handing it to Astrid in frustration. "It's actually not that hard," she said dryly, flipping the map to the left. "See? We're right here." She pointed to a blue line labeled '63rd Street'.  
"Shut up, nerd."  
Astrid smirked and folded the map back up. "Guys, come on," Nico said, standing in the corner of the shop, "we're not too far from the place." I nodded and walked over to the exit.

"Are you sure that's all you'll be buying?" the check out dude asked. I shuddered at his voice; something wasn't quite right about it. He had short cropped brown hair, and a fair tan. His height was just about perfect and his eyes were electric blue. "No, thanks. We've got what we need," I said slowly, backing up so I was pressed against the door.

"Are you sure, my dear?" the creep purred, coming back out from around the counter. Nico protectively stepped in front of me. "We're fine," his dark eyes simmered dangerously. "C'mon, Astrid. Lets go." Astrid nodded hastily and scurried over to us. "Surely there is something that catches your eye?" the check out guy asked, an all-too-wrong smile gracing his lips. "For example, you, great architect, could be interested in these old blueprints of mine." He beckoned towards Astrid. I saw a spark of interest catch in her eyes. She trotted over to the glass case where he was standing, an looked down at the encased manuscripts. "I am Teu, by the way."

The named nagged at the back of my mind. "And you, little artist!" Teu smiled at me. "I have some fabulous ancient paintings that may suit your style." My ears perked up. "Paintings, huh?" I followed him behind a large stack of dusty books. Three canvas oil paintings hung on the wall. "I'm sure we could work out an agreeable price," he laced his fingers. "But first, I must go help the young master back there." He winked at me, and left me to admire the art. I studied the brush strokes and vibrant colors. One was a mural of the Colosseum, and had two gladiators in the center poised for battle. The second was an Impressionist piece; a lot of little dots littered the canvas, and I had to back up to see the actual picture. When I did, I saw it was the head of Zeus. Before I could really delve into the third, Teu came back around with a slightly guilty face.

"I talked to your friends back there, to let them know we are going to work out a deal." He said. "Okay. Is there something wrong?" I asked, still noticing his expression. "Not with me, no. It's–er—with the blond grey-eyed one." Teu grimaced. "Oh really?" I raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did she say?"  
"I don't really know; she said something about you being an art freak, and something like you're always wasting your time sketching," he shrugged sympathetically. "Of course, I don't think that!"

I was taken aback, hurt and angry. "She said that, huh? Well, she's always going on and on about 'ooh, look at the architecture!' and 'I would have designed it this way...'. I don't need that nerd!" my eyes began to sting. I saw a smile creep up onto Teu's face, almost evilly. I froze and knew something was wrong. "Nico!" I dashed away from him as fast as I could, fearful of that glint in Teu's eye. "Oof." I slammed straight into someone, not looking where I was going. I looked up. "Nico!" I sighed in relief. He looked down at me, and I saw a new emotion in his expression. His eyes glittered with hurt, and his face with hate.

"What's w—" "Fine. I get it," he growled, interrupting me. "You'll never see me in that way." "What are you talking about? Nico, there's something not right about this place. We have to get out of here!" I began to panic. "Where's Astrid?"

"I'm right here." Astrid came out from around the corner. "Let's get out of here," I begged. "There's something wrong about Teu, I can feel it." "Wrong about him, or wrong about you?" she challenged, drawing herself up to her full height.  
"Wrong with me? You were the one who called me an art freak!" I raise my voice. "And you called me a 'prissy little know-it-all'!" Astrid retorted. "What?! I never said anything like that!" I said truthfully. Them it hit me. "Oh no..." I murmured, placing on hand on my dagger. "He's Teumessian..."

"What?" Astrid momentarily lost her anger. "The Teumessian Fox," I said, remembering the story, "He was this huge, oversized fox, and worst... a child of the Echidna. He took the form of a man most times, and was uncatchable. One day, he ran around the city of Thebes and mentally terrorized citizens. The King prayed to Zeus, asking for something to get rid of Teu. Zeus took this into consideration and decided to send out his magical dog, Laelaps, who could catch anything he chased. Soon realizing a flaw in his plan, Zeus thought hard about this paradox; how could a fox that was uncatchable be caught by a dog who catches everything? This gave him a massive headache, so he instead turned them both to stone."

"A massive headache?" Nico looked incredulously sat me. I nodded urgently. "Yes, now come on! We have to get out of here—" I stopped as I heard the panting of a dog. Slowly, I looked up into the muzzle of Teumessian. I gulped. He had taken on his fox form, having grown about ten feet in height and sprouting reddish fur everywhere. His tail twitched back and fourth hungrily. "Can we, um, still make that deal?" I asked weakly, shrinking back. He opened his jaws and growled.

"No? Okay...run!" I bolted for the doors. Nico made a last attempt to wound the beast as he followed me and Astrid out the doors, throwing a large, vintage compass straight for the middle of the fox's eyes. It stunned Teu for a moment, but he soon recovered his senses and chased us through the streets. I felt adrenaline course through me, and I ran faster than I thought I was capable of. "Nico, lead us to the car dealership!" I shouted over my shoulder. Nico picked up his pace and zipped past me. 'If the gods really do exist, then please let me live to see tomorrow,' I prayed, feeling a familiar weight begin to crush my lungs. I could feel the fox's hot breath on my neck, and I had the greatest desire to slow down and simply give in to him. "Don't stop," Astrid panted, sensing my thoughts. "We have to keep going."

I gave her a slight nod and gave a last tiny bit of speed. "In here!" Nico led us around a sharp corner and into a Ford building. Luckily, the doors were wide open and we didn't go running straight through the glass. Several of the salesman dived out if the way as Teumessian came crashing through the entrance. I followed Nico into one of the rooms and locked the door behind us. "Travis?" Nico shouted. I looked in confusion over at Astrid. She shrugged. "Travis?" Nico called again. The was a loud scratching at the door, and we walked into a different section of the office. A black haired guy poked his head around his desk. "Nico?" The man had sparking green eyes and square lens glasses. "Travis. Thank the gods," Nico sighed.

"What's wrong?" Travis stood up and started sifting through a cabinet on the wall.

"The Teumessian Fox; he's after us. That, and we need a car."

"Of course. Your father already sent word."

"Father...? He knows about our quest?" Nico looked shocked.  
"Yes. Apparently, you caught his eye when you volunteered for this quest." Travis pulled out a three-foot long sword and swerved it in his hand. Nico nodded remained silent. "Cool weapon, dude," Astrid commented. I gave her a sour look and Travis headed for the door. "Wait, don't go out there!" I grabbed his arm. He looked down at me and smiled. "Nonsense." Travis shook himself out of my grasp and grabbed the door handle. I watched as he unlocked the door and stepped out into the lobby. There was a large growl, and I heard the click of an unsheathing sword.

"Nico," I whispered, "who is he?"  
"Like I said, he's one of my father's clients." he sighed. "No." I shook my head. "Who is he really?" Nico looked away. "He's...a hired assassin, if you must know. Hades hired him to kill monsters or enemies."

"Oh." I was all I could manage. "Then, h-he'll be able to kill Teu?"

"Most likely," Nico breathed, pacing back and fourth in frustration. "He's honestly an idiot." "You two act like brothers," Astrid snorted. "If he's an idiot, then so are you." Nico glared at her. "We are not brothers," he spat, his expression hardening. "He and I are nothing alike." I cocked my head. 'Why's he so defensive about a little joke?' I thought. A distressed howl broke my thoughts.

Fearfully, I opened the office door to a crack and peeked through. Travis stood with one foot on top of the side of Teumessian's head and the other planted firmly on the ground. Travis's sword tip gleamed at his throat. "Well? Go on," Teu growled. Travis quickly glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. I gave a slight nod, indicating that I wasn't bothered by the sight. Teu's animal eyes gleamed viciously at me. "This isn't over, mortal. I will find you again, and I will bring misery to you and everyone you hold most dear..." "Enough!" Travis snarled, bringing the blade down on to his neck. I watched as the monster disintegrated into dust, and looked fearfully at Travis. There was a spark in his eyes that unnerved me.

"How the heck did you manage to kill that thing?!" Astrid pushed past me and walked over to the dead, dust leaking fox. "It was nearly the size of a hellhound!" She nudged it with her foot. "Much training..." Travis smiled wolfishly at her. I eyed him warily. "Anyways," Nico walked over to him, "we need a car."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Falling For You

* * *

Travis ended up being able to rent us a small truck, and told us that we had a couple of weeks to use it. "Gods, this thing is crappy," Nico muttered, trying to start the car. I laughed softly, and fastened my seatbelt; I had, after threatening Astrid to expose her crush to Noah, gotten to take shotgun. "Does this old thing even work?" I asked, turning the knob that switched on the radio. A fuzzy sounding country music station turned on. I poked several buttons, mostly out of curiosity, but also partly for the amusement of pressing them. "What are you doing?" Nico raised an eyebrow at my ecstatic face.

"Pressing different stations. Duh."

"Just leave the stupid thing on 93.3"

Astrid amusedly watched us from the backseat as Nico finally slapped my hands away from the dashboard. I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat. "This is going to be a long day," I sighed, closing my eyes.

We drove for a couple of hours, crossing over the state line and listening to Astrid's comments on random historical monuments. "Ooh, and when we get to Nevada, we can check out the Hoov—" she was cut off at the sound of a low buzzing. I turned around in my seat.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Shane let you keep your phone but not mine?" I asked incredulously, watching Astrid flip the vibrate switch off her Smartphone. She grimaced apologetically and checked her messages. "Who was that?" I said curiously, watching her grin and reply back. "No one," she lied, still looking like a high llama.

"You'd better shut that thing off," Nico said, turning onto the highway. "It's gonna attract monsters." "Oh, shut up Mr. Emo," Astrid snapped, sliding her phone back into her pocket. "Just because you have no social life doesn't mean I shouldn't have one."  
Nico glared at her in the rear view mirror. "Who were you texting anyways?" I asked. "Noah," she muttered, barely audible. I grinned. "That's good for you. Well, not if we end up getting killed by monsters, but good if you two have regular chats."

"What did I do to deserve getting stuck in a car for six hours with two girls?" Nico murmured, turning the radio station to classic rock. "You volunteered," I pointed out. "Yes, and you do realize that we're on our way to the Underworld right now, and you two are talking about boys?!" he looked slightly driven insane.

I laughed at his expression, which looked like a crazed bat. "Lighten up, we're bored. Is there a gas station anywhere near? I'm itching to get some fresh air."

"Yeah, should be one at the next exit," he said tiredly. "Till then, try and shut up."

We stopped at a Cassie's a few miles later, and the sky was extremely cloudy. I stepped out of the truck and was nearly swept away by the wind. Astrid turned on the radio to the news station.  
"...extreme flooding is occurring near Grand Central Station and Connecticut. It is warned that citizens evacuate as soon as possible and all flights have been canceled..." It blared. I cocked my head. "What's it talking about?" I asked. Astrid looked worriedly over at me. "Hurricane Sandy; its hitting all of the upper east coast."

My voice caught in my throat.  
"T-Then, Camp Half-Blood will be hit!" She nodded, her face pale. "Rachel...Noah...everyone..."

"But the magic boundaries will protect them, right?" I asked, slightly desperate.

"If they don't, I'd blame Percy Jackson," Nico came around from the other side of the car. "He must have really po'ed Poseidon."  
I nearly laughed. "Either way, New York's in danger."

"That's their problem," he shrugged carelessly. "How could you say that?" Astrid hissed, her eyes turning wolfish. "You have family up there!"  
Nico glared at her. "They are NOT my family."

"You're practically my cousin!" Astrid said. "So yes, you DO have relatives up there!"

"Hazel is my only family! Everyone else is either terrified of me or they hate me!"

"I don't hate you!"

"Guys!" I tried to intervene.

"Yeah?" both of their voices softened when they turned to me. "Stop it, both of you. We need to get out of here soon if we don't want to get caught in the storm too," I said, dead serious. "Plus, I'm hungry."

Astrid still looked tense, but nodded, and Nico agreed. "I'll run into the store and pick up a few sandwiches," he said, dashing off and up to the sidewalk. "You really have him wrapped around your finger," Astrid commented, crossing her arms. "I do not!" I protested, unhooking the gas nozzle from the tank. "He does pretty much anything you say," she raised an eyebrow. "Not really," I mumbled, now awkwardly fiddling with the zipper on my jacket, "I mean, he's just being nice."

"VERY nice."

"Shut up!"

Nico returned a few minutes later with cold deli sandwiches and bottles of Gatorade. "Here, I got you a turkey one with no cheese instead of ham, since I know you hate red meat," he handed me a packaged square. Astrid gave me a look as if to say "I told you so!". I ignored her and said, "Thanks. Now lets get out of here before the floods hit us."

We settled back into the truck and kept the radio turned on the news channel. I ate in silence, curling up against the window. "Hey, Nico?" Astrid leaned forward from the backseat. "Can I drive?" "Don't let her, it's a bad idea," I urged, finishing off the rest of my water. "Do you even have your license yet?" Nico asked slowing down at a red light. "Nope, but I have my permit," Astrid grinned insanely.  
"Katie, do you have your permit or license?" he asked, turning to me.

"My permit, yeah."

"Good. Then you can drive," Nico rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Hey! What about me?!" Astrid snapped, poking her head between our seats. "I don't trust your driving, Astrid. Sorry," Nico pushed on the gas pedal and drive us into a Target parking lot. She gave him her death glare and flopped back in her seat.

As soon as we were parked, Nico handed me the keys and he switched to shotgun. "Ugh, I can't even have the front seat?" Astrid whined, giving me her puppy eyes. "No. You'll distract me," I said, re-buckling my seatbelt. Nico dozed off almost as soon as his head leaned against the window.

I slowly pulled back onto the highway and maintained a few miles below the speed limit. The car was silent except for Nico'a soft breathing, and Astrid had emerged into a book.

As we crossed the line headed for Chicago, amused myself by noticing small details about each of them. Astrid had this little habit of twitching her nose every twenty minutes, and drumming her foot on the leather of the seat. Nico wasn't really doing anything since he was asleep, but I did catch myself staring at him unnecessarily. His olive skinned face looked almost angelic as he slept, and he seemed so peaceful. He had a cute little soft snore too—wait, why am I even writing this?! Erm, anyways...

I tore my eyes away and focused my gaze back on the road. A green sign read 'Chicago: 3 1/2 miles'. I sighed contently and stretched, careful not to lift my foot off the gas pedal. "Lake Michigan should be coming up here soon," I announced, glancing in the rear view mirror. Astrid's nose was still buried in her book. "Astrid!" I hissed softly, trying not to wake Nico.  
"What?" she asked irritably, her eyes never leaving the pages.

"We're about to come in sight of Lake Michigan! I thought you'd want to see it."

"Ooh!" her head popped up at that.  
"It's supposed to be one of the deepest freshwater lakes in the world, you know. Next to Lake Superior, it's the largest dip of water in the U.S..."

I listened to her drone on and on about the Great Lakes's history, and rolled my eyes.

"Whuzgoingon?" Nico slurred, opening his weary eyes. I shot Astrid an 'I told you to be quiet!' look. "We're about to pass Lake Michigan," I said, pulling down off the highway. "Did you get enough sleep?"

"You can never get enough sleep," he mumbled, shaking his rumpled black hair. "That is so true." Astrid agreed.

We drove up onto a paved hilltop and a magnificent sight greeted our eyes. Lake Michigan looked like an ocean, stretching for miles in each direction, its murky blue/grey color looking like a large smooth stone. "Wow," I breathed, stepping on the brake. "Too...many...colors..." Nico mumbled, pulling his jacket up over his face.

Astrid laughed and opened her door, stepping out to take a picture. "Don't use your phone!" I hissed, irked that she kept using it. "Oh, shut up." she snapped a couple of photos. I felt a twinge of annoyance in the back of my head, and was slightly temped for a moment to drive off without her.

"There. I can Photoshop these when we get home." Astrid climbed back in and shut the door.

"If we get home..." I murmured darkly.

"You sound like me," Nico stirred, now fully awake. I snorted and drove forward. I saw something extremely bright in the road ahead, and slammed on the brakes. "Oh, joy. Not this guy," Nico muttered. I shielded my eyes for a moment before the blinding aura died down. A guy stood in the road.

I moved the shift stick into park and got out of the truck. "Excuse me, mister, but—wow."  
The guy looked about nineteen, and had sparkling blue eyes and closely-cropped blonde hair. He wore a pair of Hawaiian surfing shorts, and a tightly fitted white tank top, along with a shark tooth necklace. He grinned at me, revealing sparkling teeth. Honestly, this dude looked like an extremely hot Australian beach model.

"Hello there, sweetheart."

Nico and Astrid had both gotten out of the car to see what was going on. "What do you want?" Nico asked irritably. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You know this guy?" Astrid asked. I raised an eyebrow as well.

"Astrid, Katie, meet Apollo, god of the sun."

Apollo grinned at us. "You could show a little more enthusiasm, cousin."

'Apollo,' the gears in my brain turned. "You're Noah Peterson's dad!" I exclaimed, finally placing where I'd heard Apollo's name mentioned.

"Correct, Little-Miss-Know-It-All. I am the god of archery, prophecy, and sun!" Apollo did a dramatic bow. "So cut to the chase, why are you here?" Nico asked boredly.  
"Cute story, actually. The other day, I had just finished my routine of driving my sun chariot, and parked it in my garage. This morning, —poof— it was gone." "And now you want us to find it and bring it back." Nico finished.

"Pretty much," Apollo shrugged. Nico rolled his eyes. "Fine. Where do you think it was taken?"

"The western border of Illinois. There are some rebellious night spirits that keep harassing me, and I think they're responsible for stealing it."

"And how exactly will we know where to find them?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Oh, trust me. You'll know. In the meantime, relax." the god waved his hand and a blue ice cooler appeared in front of the truck.

"Look, we have a deadline to meet. We can't just go tramping around, playing hero for you," Astrid said, "No offense."  
"None taken. I get what you mean. Hades is a nasty enemy, so if you're going to help him it'd better be quick," Apollo nodded. "But be warned, defying the gods is a gruesome mistake."

My head began to spin. "Fine, fine. We'll do what you ask. Just please leave us in peace!"  
"Ooh, feisty. Fine, I'll do as you wish. But please, at least enjoy the drinks," Apollo winked, and in a blinding flash, was gone.

"Stupid gods, stupid quest..." I muttered, walking over to the cooler as Nico and Astrid discussed plans. "I really need to find a happy place..." I opened the lid to the container and saw a few unlabeled, brown colored cans. I hesitantly picked one up and popped the tab, sniffing it before taking a large swig.

"Nooooo!" someone barreled into me, knocking me down onto the asphalt. "Ow, geez! What was that for?" I asked Astrid, rubbing a small scrape on my leg. "That's beer, you idiot!" she shrieked, stomping on the can with her foot.  
"No, you dumbo! It's ROOT beer!" I watched as the fuzzy beverage drink spilled out of the crushed container.

"Oh. Right." she looked embarrassed and causally brushed her bangs about of her eyes.

"It's mind numbing!" I grinned like a maniac. "Are you sure there's no alcohol in that?" Astrid looked worriedly at me. Nico popped open another can and sniffed it. "Nope, it's completely soft drink," he said.  
She still eyed the cooler warily. "C'mon, Astrid. Relax. I'm sure a few hours off couldn't hurt." I said, leaning back against the front of the car. "Besides, Chicago actually has weather that I like."

"Fine. But if we're attacked, its your fault."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Spirits of the Night

* * *

We took an hour or so off from driving and relaxed for a while, kicking back at the beach. The water, we found out, was too icy to swim in, since Astrid had done the A.D.D. thing and jumped straight into the shallow end. "Are you okay?" I stifled laughter as she came crawling out, looking like a spikey, wet kitten. "N-n-no." her teeth chattered. I ran back up to the truck and grabbed her a towel. "Here," I wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Th-thanks."  
"That wasn't exactly the smartest thing you've ever done," I grinned. Astrid gave me the death glare.

I turned around to see Nico di Angelo sulking in the shade of a tree. "Hey, what's up?" I asked, concerned.

"Nothing."

"Liar." I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing you'd understand," he said stubbornly. "Oh, you could be surprised at what I understand," I retorted, sitting down in the sand beside him. We sat there in silence, listening to the wind blow and the waves lap against the shore.

"Say, for instance, there was someone important to me—not like Hazel—who I deemed very special to me. How do you think they would feel if I were to died on this quest?" Nico broke the quietness.

My heart sank. "So, t-there's someone you love? Back at camp?"

He sighed. "You could say that."

I felt a wave of nausea come over me. "Well, they'd probably be extremely devastated." My voice sounded strained. Nico nodded distantly.

"It must be nice to have someone like that; who'd cry over you if you were injured or killed."

"Well, we're not exactly together. We've known each other for only a little while, but she means the world to me. I've always protected her, ever since I was released from the Lotus Hotel Casino."

"What's her name?"

Nico di Angelo was silent.

"You don't have to say," I said quickly. He looked down at his shoes. "Hey, guys. I think there's someone following us," Astrid sat down in between us, breaking the awkward moment. "What? Where?" my eyes darted around the sand.

"I don't know, but I've felt it since we passed through Michigan."

I nodded and continued to scan our surroundings. No one popped out from behind a bush. No monster lashed out. It was deadly quiet.  
"Okay, then lets get going." I brushed the sand off my clothes and stood up.

* * *

This time, I rode in the backseat of the car. Nico once again took the wheel and Astrid claimed shotgun, much to her excitement. I laid down on my back across the three seats as we started to move, angling my body so that the seatbelt buckles wouldn't stab my ribcage. I turned onto my side and stared into space. I don't know why, but I was slightly bothered about Nico and I's conversation. Scratch that, I was very bothered about it, but my thoughts were too jumbled to think straight about it.

The car was stuffy and hot, adding to my discomfort. Soon my head began to throb with a headache, and my stomach felt like millions of waves were crashing around inside it. "Guys, I don't feel too good," I whimpered, pulling my knees up to my chest. "Do you want me to pull over?" Nico asked, concerned.

"No, there might be monsters. Just keep going, but drive slowly." I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. 'I never knew the term "lovesick" was actually literal' I thought, shivering as the AC blew on my forehead.

* * *

I fell into a fitful doze, and nightmares haunted my mind. I saw no images, but instead heard taunts and cruel laughing. "Who could ever love such a pathetic excuse for a mortal?" I heard Nico's voice, only it was hard and cold. "I hate you, Katie, and I hope that you fall into the depths of Tartarus."  
Then suddenly, I saw Astrid and Nico, but strangely only from the waist up.

Astrid's frosty blue eyes bored into me, and I saw a rage kindle in them. I tried to shrink back under her gaze, but I seemed to be frozen in place. "Why would I ever want to even be around such scum like you? All you've ever done is complain and be selfish. It would save us all a lot of trouble if you went and drowned yourself." I could only stand in place and watch as she turned to Nico and started k—er, nevermind, I think I'll leave that part out. Anyways, out of nowhere, water started to pour in from all directions, and filled my mouth and nose. I tried to scream for help, but my lungs burned and the image of Astrid and Nico was glued to my vision...

My eyes popped open and I found myself splayed across the seats in the back of the car. Sweat beads covered my forehead, and my vision was blurred by salty tears. "Katie?" Astrid turned around in her seat and looked at me with worry. I shook my hair so that it covered part of my face and she couldn't see me crying. "You okay?" Nico di Angelo also turned around to look at me. I would've given anything to disappear right there and then. "N-no." My voice was shaky.

"What's wrong? You look really sick..." Astrid unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed through the little space between the front seats. "Dude, sit down! I'm driving!" Nico huffed, slowing down.  
Astrid leapt onto the seat beside me. "Seriously, what happened?" she asked softly. "Just a...nightmare..." I lied, wiping a sweat bead off my forehead. I could see her staring at me out of the corner of my eye, but I looked away.

"I don't believe you. Tell me the truth."

"It's not like I lied."

"Stop procrastinating!"

"I'm not procrastinating!"

"Then tell me!"

"Uh uh."

"Tell me!"

"No."

Astrid sighed in frustration. "Fine. Keep your feeling bottled up..."

"It's not like I want to. I just...can't."

Her gaze softened and she rummaged through her bag sitting on the floor of the car. "Here," she handed me a bottle of ibuprofen, "this should take away the headache and chills." "Thank you," I unscrewed the lid and two orange pills fell into my palm. "Do you have any water?"

"Oh, crum." Astrid gave me a sheepish grin. I rolled my eyes and sighed, shoving the bottle back into her hands. "Here goes nothing..." I plopped the dry tablets into my mouth. "Oh, gods, that's nasty." I gagged at the bitter taste and then swallowed them.

"Just try and get some more rest. We'll be near the border soon and we have to find those night spirits." She said. I heard something roll out from under the seat. "Hey, look its the water bottle. Ooh! Tornado!" Astrid picked it up and started shaking it so it swirled like a whirlpool. 'Wow, Astrid,' I thought, as I closed my eyes again, 'you really are something...'

* * *

I had a peaceful sleep that time, and woke up a few hours later to find that we had stopped. "Where are we?" I asked groggily, sitting up. "Just on state line," though I couldn't see him, I heard Nico's voice. "Why'd we stop?"  
"We couldn't pass the border; its like there's some invisible force blocking us from going through."

I sat up and looked through my window. The sun was already down and the stars were shining brightly above the city lights. There was no sign that anything was abnormal. "Where's Astrid?" I said slowly, turning to face him. "She went out to see if there are any nearby restaurants," Nico di Angelo shrugged. Of course. Sneaky little Astrid. She knew that I'd wake up while she was gone, leaving Nico and I alone.

"Idiot..." I murmured. "Sorry?" he raised an eyebrow. "What? No, I wasn't talking to you!" I looked away, embarrassed. I heard soft, light laughter. I glanced at him again. Nico was still chuckling, his features contorted into a smile. "You two have a complicated relationship, don't you?" he asked, his dark eyes sparkling. A little stunned that he was actually laughing, I said, "N-No. Why does everyone ask that?"

"Heh heh, well it just seems like you guys argue a lot."

"Not really. Mostly we're just trying to make each other laugh or smile. I'd never try to make her truly mad. The thought terrifies me. You have no idea the effect her glare can have on people."

He chuckled, and soon our chitchat died down. I climbed up into the passengers seat. "So..." he said quietly, "do you have anyone special back home?"

I looked down at my lap. "I don't know," I chose my words carefully. "There is this one guy, back at Astrid and I's school, who I've had a crush on for about a month. Until I came to camp, that is. Y'see, he was a big jerk to Astrid, but he's always been really nice to me." "Oh," Nico di Angelo gave me a strained smile that totally read 'I'm going to track down this jerk and kill him'. "What's his name?"

"Hunter." I shook my hair so that it hid my flushed face. "What about yours?"

"Mmmmm..." he pondered.

"You don't have to say directly," I said quickly.

"Okay then, I'll use a pen name for her. Her name's Hannah."

Wonderful. One of my favorite names used for some stuck up, selfish, popular, clingy, brunette (not trying to be stereotypical). "That's a nice name," I gave a fake smile, mentally banging my head against an imaginary brick wall.

"Her real name's better, though." he shrugged. Great. Now we've practically friend-zoned each other.

We sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, when somebody walked up to Nico's window. I jumped, seeing Astrid grin like a creeper at me. "Hey, there are a couple places down the road we could eat, if Katie's feeling up to it," she said. "Okay," Nico nodded. "I'm cool with it," I said, wide awake.

'All I've done for the past few weeks is complain, get sick, sleep, eat, and swoon over a guy,' I thought, disgusted at myself. 'It's time I did something to prove I'm not worthless.' I got out of the car, pulling on my jacket. "So, what are our options?" I asked Astrid. "Well, there's a beef/grill place a couple minutes away, and a pizza joint a little ways farther," she said, crossing her arms.  
"Okay, you choose." I smiled, ignoring the way my stomach lurched at the thought of eating beef.

* * *

We ended up eating at the pizza place (thank the gods!) and soon made our way back to the truck. "So where are these night spirits anyways?" I asked, contently full.  
"We don't know. While you were sleeping, though, there was this weird purple mist that surrounded us. It didn't do anything but it freaked me out!" Astrid said, her eyes flitting left and right. "Are you sure it wasn't just some old lady's perfume?" I asked jokingly. Astrid laughed at this and shook her head.

"That isn't funny." said Nico di Angelo, "This is serious!"  
I laughed even harder at his expression. "Oh, come on, lighten up!" I nudged him playfully with my elbow. "Ow," he rubbed his shoulder. "Come on, lets go see if we can find these 'night spirits'!" I genty grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. Astrid raised an eyebrow, glancing down at our intertwined hands.

'Shut up.' I mouthed, glancing over my shoulder. She grinned, and I knew that she's never let me live this down. "Idiot," I muttered. "Sorry?" Nico looked down at me. "Not you. Her." I gestured with my head back at Astrid.

"Ah."

We left a snickering Astrid back at the truck and scrounged around the thin layer of trees behind the restaurant for any clues of the spirits whereabouts. "So, um, what exactly are we supposed to do when we find them?" I asked Nico, embarrassedly. "I hadn't really thought of that," he admitted. "Maybe just ask nicely?"

I almost laughed out loud. "Yeah, or maybe we could buy them Happy Meals."

"You know about that?"

"Everybody knows about that."

"What else do you know about me?!"

"You played Mythomagic as a kid, you have two sisters, you've fallen into Tartarus and made it back alive, and you were born in the 40's."

Nico looked downright creeped out. "It seems I have a personal stalker." "No, I'm sorry if it sounded that way," I laughed, "the mortal world has quite a bit of information about you on the Internet." "Why were you looking me up on the Internet?" he raised a black eyebrow.

"Ha! No reason." I fidgeted with the hilt of κοράκι. "Mmm." He shook his head, making his hair fall in front of his face.

He continued to hunt around for clues, or monsters, or anything unusual in demigod standards. "Ugh, this is pointless. Lets just head back," I complained, leaning back against a tree trunk.

"There's no need for that, dearie." A silky voice murmured in my ear. I squeaked and pulled away. Standing just where I had been a second ago, stood an odd, shape shifting kind of mist. Peering closer at the apparition, I saw that it was constantly changing and rippling, but stood still long enough to form a faint outline of a person. "What are you?" I asked, stepping forward curiously.

Nico pulled me back, grabbing my arm. "Don't go near it, I don't trust him," he muttered. The purple film shifted and changed to the form of a cat. It grinned. "Why, my dear, I won't lay a paw on you."

I looked at him again through a strand of my hair. "Anyways," he drawled, "I am a night spirit, creator of darkness." He spun through the air and pranced around, a huge grin plastered on his muzzle. "You look like the Cheshire Cat," I said, reflecting on the transparent feline from Alice in Wonderland.  
"Indeed, that's where the writer got the idea, from my kind," Kitty, as I unofficially named him, drifted lazily closer. Nico stiffened his grip around me. "Tell your little boyfriend to relax, I don't bite."

"I'm not her boyfriend." Nico said bluntly. "Of course not," Kitty purred, swiping a gas-like paw through Nico's hair. "Why are you bothering Apollo?" he asked sharply. "Dearie, dear me. Quite eager to get right to the point, aren't we?" he mused.

"Just tell us why and we'll get out of your hair–er–fur," I said.

"Fine," Kitty sighed, becoming so translucent I could only see his feline eyes. "My kind and I are getting sick of the gods. And Apollo—the nerve of that child—is always moving the sun up and down, up and down, up and down, it drives us INSANE." He hissed and clawed at his fur. "That's why we supported Gaea. No more Apollo, no more sunshine. Bye bye brightness!"

"But she failed, and so did you," I said. "Now would you please leave Apollo alone? It'd be so much easier if you just cooperated."

"It would be so much easier if you just cooperated, mehmehmeh," he mimicked. I sighed heavily. "Let's go, Nico."

"No." He glared at the spirit. "I'm not leaving until he agrees."  
"That'll be a while, then, dearie." The cat-like form grinned cheekily. Nico and I unsheathed our swords in union. "Tsk, tsk, violence? What would your mothers think?" Kitty tutted. "My mother is DEAD!" Nico roared, lunging at him. The spirit vanished in a puff of smoke.  
I sighed. "Let's just go back to the car and sort this out in the morning."  
"Sounds like a plan."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Give Me Love

We all slept in the car that night, Astrid and I swapping places in he seats. I got shotgun, reclining the seat and cranking up the AC. Nico somehow insisted that he'd be fine sleeping upright in the drivers seat, stating that if he leaned it back that Astrid would have no room to comfortably rest.

"How noble of you," Astrid grumbled, fluffing her pillow. "Now can you all shut up so we can get some shut eye?" "You're welcome." Nico turned to face the window, and I couldn't see his face through the darkness. "Goodnight, Katie."

"G'night," I said softly. I turned on to my side, using my bicep as a headrest, and stared at the side of the car. Waiting until I heard the steady breathing of my friends, I quietly allowed a tear to roll down my cheek. My breaths became shaky and I saw Nico twitch. Covering my mouth with one hand, I continued to cry, trying to soothe my swelling throat at the same time.

"Katie?"

I mentally cursed at myself. I cleared my throat, trying to sound normal, and whispered, "Yeah?" My hair fell in front of my face and I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Hey...are you crying?"

Nico gently tucked my hair behind my ear, concern written on his weary face. I sniffed. "No. I'm just laughing on the wrong side of my face."  
His hand moved from my shoulder to cup the side of my face.

"I'm serious. What's wrong?"

My throat tightened again, and the hot rush of tears blurred my vision. Making a noise that sounded like a whimper, I let them fall as I buried my head in his chest. I heard a small intake of breath from him but he soon recovered and wrapped two arms around me. "Shhhh, um, it's okay..."

I heard a click of the radio, the volume barely audible so it wouldn't wake Astrid.

"Give me love like her,  
'cause lately I've been waking up alone,  
Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt,  
Told you I'd let them go,  
And that I'll fight my corner,  
Maybe tonight I'll call ya,  
After my blood turns into alcohol,  
No, I just wanna hold ya.

Give a little time to me or burn this out,  
We'll play hide and seek to turn this around,  
All I want is the taste that your lips allow,  
My, my, my, my, oh give me love,  
My, my, my, my, oh give me love,  
My, my, my, my, oh give me love,  
My, my, my, my, oh give me love,  
My, my, my, my, oh give me love..."

The song continued to play and Nico wrapped his arms around me. "How'd you know this would be playing?" I asked, still buried in his shirt.

"Uhh, luck, I guess?"

"Give me love like never before,  
'cause lately I've been craving more,  
And it's been a while but I still feel the same,  
Maybe I should let you go,  
You know I'll fight my corner,  
And that tonight I'll call ya,  
After my blood is drowning in alcohol,  
No I just wanna hold ya..."

I took a moment to listen to the lyrics, and heard the steady THUD THUD of his heart speed up slightly. Nico lowered his head so it rested on mine. "Is this okay?" he said quietly.

I sniffed again and nodded, suddenly aware of how close were and how tired I was. "You're homesick, aren't you?" he murmured. "Mmhmm," I closed my eyes.

Soon I completely relaxed and began to nod off.

"M my,my, m my, my, m my, my, give me love, lover  
M my,my, m my, my, m my, my, give me love, lover  
M my,my, m my, my, m my, my, give me love, lover..."

The music began to grow softer as my ears drowned it out with sleep. Even with Ed screaming I felt totally comfortable; not that his screaming wasn't beautiful, because, well, it was. In an odd sort of way.

The last thing I felt before completely slumping in Nico di Angelo's arms was the soft and quick caress of a kiss on my head. Unknowingly, if I had turned around at that exact second, I would have seen Astrid snapping silent photos and laughing quietly to herself.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Junkfood and Killer Birds

I woke up the next morning awkwardly slumped with my face directly in my lap. I sat up and stretched, finding an unpleasant stiffness in my neck and back. I yawned and cracked my knuckles.

Sunshine blazed through the windows of the car and the parking lot we sat in was packed once again. "Mmmm, morning," I heard Astrid mumble. "G'morning," I took the brush out my bag and began to comb my hair.

"Loverboy's still sleeping, eh?"

I forced my facial muscles to stay nonchalant. "So 'loverboy' is your new name for him?" "Don't play dumb with me; I saw your guys' little episode last night..." "I was homesick, okay?! And I was tired, and sleep deprived, and hungry, so a comforting hug was nice."

"Hug, eh? Looked more like PDA to me."

"Nothing you'd understand. You were no help to me, snoring your head off back there. I could've been crying over my parents' grave and you wouldn't hug me!"

"Thats not true! I just don't like being touched-"

"-execpt by Noah."

"Ugh, would you guys KEEP IT DOWN?!" 'Loverboy' himself sat up in his seat and glared at us. "I'm trying to SLEEP."

"Sorry," I whispered, "it was Astrid's fault."

"Was not!"

"Just because you don't like to cuddle doesn't mean I don't."

"Its awkward and weird and too touchy-feely!"

"UGHHHHHHH." Poor Nico gripped his curly dark hair and closed his eyes. I glared at Astrid once more. "See? You disturbed the dark angel's slumber.'

"I'm not an angel, " Nico grumbled, "I'm a hungry, sleep deprived, grumpy Ghost King."

I laughed. "Great. Speaking of hungry, get me food." "You could be more polite about it," he grumped, pulling out his wallet. "Fine. What do you guys want?"

We ended up eating at a drive-through, McDonalds, to my disgust and Astrid's delight. "So, what are you gonna get? A happy meal?" I joked as Nico looked at the menu.

"No!"

"Sure you aren't..."

"Ugh. What do you guys want?"

"Ooh! I want french toast!" Astrid piped up. "They don't have french toast, genius." "Then I want pancakes! I havent had any junk food since we went to Montauk!"

Nico sighed. "Katie? What do you want?"  
"Ummm..." I pondered the disgusting menu. "I'll have the banana smoothie. I like bananas. Bananas are good."

"Bananas are fantastic," Astrid laughed hysterically. I joined in, getting the reference.

"Um, what...?" Nico looked blankly at us, looking at me, then Astrid, then back to me again. "N-nothing," I shook my head, still giggling. Turning his head back to the window he muttered something.  
I picked up, "...readheads...blonde...BBC network...what did I get myself into..."

We picked our food up at the next window surprisingly fast and we parked near the curb to eat. Nico passed us each our meals, still perturbed by our earlier joke. "Mmmm!" I greedily snatched my smoothie and began to literally inhale it.

"Here, Astrid," Nico swung her bag of food in front of her face. "Okay, thanks. One sec..." I heard the clicks of buttons on her phone. "Astrid...what are you doing...?"

"Aaaaand, done!" She grinned triumphantly. "Oh gods, what the Hades did you do?" growled Nico. Astrid showed us the screen of her phone, being careful to hold it out of grabbing distance.

There, posted for the whole world to see, was a picture of Nico kissing my head. On Instagram. I stared at the picture for a long time before raising my head slowly to see Astrid grinning like mad.

"I. Am. Going. To. Hurt. You." I said calmly, tucking stray hairs behind my ear. "But not before something else gets us first.

As if on queue, something rammed into the side of the truck, almost pushing the car onto its side. I was thrown against the door, hitting my head against the cool metal. I felt something sharp slice my temple and my head started buzzing.

"D-drive!" I gasped.

I looked over and saw Nico cursing and rubbing his head. "Dang it, Astrid."

The truck backed out quickly and we jarringly ran over the median.  
"Katie, I need you to take the wheel!" said Nico, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"What?! I cant drive!"

"You have to!" He climbed out of the seat and opened the skylight, climbing througj it and onto the top of the car.

"Are you insane? Get back in here!" I shouted, launching myself into the drivers seat.

"Katie, you've gotta trust me. Now drive!" he yelled.

I sucked in a deep breath. "Okay." I stepped on the gas pedal.

I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Nico do a backflip off the roof of the car and land on both feet, sword in both hands. The monsters, huge birds with long, broze looking beaks and siver feathers. They swooped and pecked at Nico, aiming for this eyes.

My heart lept to my throat as I saw one of the birds' beaks slice a portion of skin just under his left eye.

"He'll be fine, just go!" Astrid yelped.

"I am not leaving him," I growled, spinning the steering wheel. I backed the truck up at full speed and heard some of the birds squawk in alarm.

I pulled up next to Nico, watching him cut down one of the huge flyers.  
"Get in!" I hissed, unlocking the doors.

"I told you to get out of here!" he shook his dark hair and a few metal feathers fell out.

"Did you really think I would leave you after what you did for me last night?" I whispered lowly. Nico shifted uncomfortably and fastened his seatbelt.  
"Ahem, would you two like a room?" asked Astrid, drumming her fingers on the seat.

"You're funny," I said dryly. "So hilarious you should go out there and battle the monsters you attracted in the first place!"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Lets just get outta here," Nico huffed, still plucking feathers from his hair.

Outside the car the monsters (or, as Astrid corrected me, Stymphalian birds) dived and shrieked at us, slamming themselves against the windows.

"Okay, but you're driving," I slid over to the passenger seat.

"Hey! Let me move first!" Nico squirmed like a little bat as I half sat down on the seat. "Nah, I think I'll stay right here."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hai guys! Its been awhile; sorry. Anywho, enjoy this new chapter ;) And for any of those Whovians out there, you might find an inside joke or two :3**

* * *

Chapter 13: Hotels and Hades

We spent the next day and a half driving without resting and we'd all rotate driving so at least one of us could get some sleep. I was slumped against the window in the backseat while Astrid drove, much to my concern, and Nico was in the seat beside me.

"Hey. Hey, wake up." He gently prodded my side. "We're here."

"Mmm?" I blearily opened my eyes. It was almost completely black outside- Wait, scratch that. It was semi dark outside, and the lights of Los Angeles danced across the streets and sky. "Whoa."

"I know. It's amazing, isn't it?"

I nodded and looked at the tall skyscrapers and city lights. Palm trees littered the sidewalks and everywhere you turned you could see signs of the nightlife; music blaring from the nearby clubs, taxis honking at the traffic, casinos flashing their pretty lights, malls alive with people bustling in and out…

"Katie? Kayyyytiiiieee!" I snapped out of my daze and saw Astrid looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"What?"

"I asked 'do you want to find a hotel'? It's getting really cramped in here and my neck hurts from sleeping on it wrong," Astrid said. "And I've forgotten what a real bed feels like."

"Okay. But finding a cheap room round here won't be easy."

"I think I know of a way," Nico piped up, shaking his hair out of his face.

And there we stood, probably at the nicest hotel in California, with Nico holding a blank sheet of paper at the receptionist's nose.

"As you can see, we don't like to be kept waiting!" he huffed, crossing his arms. The receptionist blinked and became slightly misty eyed. "I-I see sir! Right away! I'm so sorry I didn't realize-" "Who we are?" Nico raised an eyebrow, "Yes, I've heard that excuse many times."The man typed furiously at the computer for a moment before handing Nico a room key. "Enjoy your stay, sir."

Once we were in the elevator Astrid and I bombarded him with questions.

"How did you do that?!"

"That was so cool! He was all like possessed."

"What is that paper stuff anyways?"

Nico sighed and tucked the paper back in his pocket. "Its a trick I learned from an old friend. It reads whatever identity I want. Its called psychic paper."

"Cooool!" Astrid and I said in unison.

"So who'd you say we were?"

Nico smiled. "Cant say. Spoilers."

We stepped out of the elevator and found room 511. Sliding the key through the scan, we rushed into our air conditioned heaven, and ran into our first problem.

All three of us stood staring at one king size bed.

"Well. This is awkward."

"Absolutely NOT."

"Whhhyyy? I dont mind..."

"Well I do, and as my duty as your best friend, I wont let you."

"Its not like he'd try anything..."

Astrid and I bickered over what two of us would get the bed. I argued that if Astrid wanted to sleep on the floor, it was her loss and that I wouldnt mind sharing the bed with the dark angel.

"I can hear you, y'know."

I jumped slightly, forgetting Nico was in the room. My face suddenly felt on fire and I gulped.

"Oh. Hi. I'm just gonna...yeah..." I quickly ducked out of the awkward situation and out the door, sprinting down the hall and to the right.

"Katie! What are you-" Astrid started.

"Vending machine!" I hollered back, "Bring you back a soda!"

I sprinted into the small room with the ice and vending machines, spotting the doorway that read TO THE ROOF.  
'Not very original,' I thought, as I bounded up the stairs.  
Panting, I reached the top and walked out onto the flat roof.

"Oh, wow...!" I looked down at the lights of Los Angeles and heard the faint throbbing of music and bass.

Grateful for the temperate breeze, I settled down on the floor, leaning against one of the big ventilation shafts.

'Ha, running. Always running from things you cant handle,' I thought wryly. 'Sounds like a certain Doctor I know.'

I gave myself a few more minutes to calm down before sighing and going back inside and down the stairs.

As promised, I grabbed Astrid a small can of Fanta from the vending machine and returned to our room. Without pausing, I kicked open the door, threw the can of soda at Astrid's face, and flopped onto the left side of the bed.

"Don't worry, this is her way of getting over self embarrassment," I heard Astrid tell Nico. "She'll sulk for a while but soon she'll be back to normal."

Not even bothering to change, I burrowed down under the covers and closed my eyes. I heard the buzz of a toothbrush and running of tap water come from the bathroom, then muffled bickering.

Within minutes, I felt the bed sink down on my right as one of my friends settled beside me and I heard the rustle of blankets and fabric as the other made some sort of cot on the floor.

Sighing with anxiety, I snuggled deeper into the covers, thinking about the upcoming morning.

* * *

**O.o I wonder which friend was which. Hehehehe, you'll have to wait and see. Stay classy ;)**


	14. Authors Note

Hi guys. Not an update, sorry :P Just wanted to let you know that there are about 5-6 more chapters b

efore I can call this story complete :D I also have a nice plot twist (well, debateabley nice), mwahaha! But don't worry, I have full intentions of this having a happy ending. Anyways, I'm going to be splitting my time between writing this and my other story, The Doctor's Son. So, if you like Doctor Who, be sure to check it out and review! Stay classy!


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